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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22993489">The Skunk Maid [Celia Route]</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/SolamenteCelia/pseuds/SolamenteCelia'>SolamenteCelia</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Skunk Maid Universe [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Furry (Fandom)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Furries, Skunks</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 07:40:34</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>35,150</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22993489</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/SolamenteCelia/pseuds/SolamenteCelia</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>In an alternate history olde Europe, humans and furreds live alongside each other. This story follows how one of those furreds, a skunk maid named Celia, falls in love with her master, Jason, and what follows.</p><p>(Adapted from a roleplay)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Skunk Maid Universe [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1652524</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. The nightly routine</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>The first 16 chapters of this work are identical to the other in The Skunk Maid series on this account. In Chapter 17, the two routes finally diverge, one leading to a romance with Sarah and the other with Celia. Feel free to read up to 16 and then decide for yourself whom you think Jason should end up with, or just read both versions :)</p>
    </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Just for a little visual aid, here’s an actual picture of me in my French maid outfit. Do what you like with it ;D</p><p>https://m.imgur.com/a/FoGg9VZ</p><p>As the chapters go on, I may add some more... revealing pictures.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Goodbye, Master Gladstone!!" the skunk called from the manor's porch as she watched him ride off in his carriage toward the setting sun. Once he was safely out of sight, she turned around and walked back inside, where her master's son was eating the dinner she'd prepared.</p><p>"Master Jason?" she said as she walked into the dining room. "Your father has just left, so it will be just you and me for the next two or three weeks. If there's anything I can do for you to make the coming weeks even a little less dull, please let me know."</p><p>Jason was silently eating his food when she spoke to him, calmly looking up and giving the maid a slow nod. “OK, I’m going to go bathe now," he said as he stood from the dining room table. His plate was clean and the glass he drank from was empty.</p><p>She bowed and said, "Thank you, Master," despite the fact that there was nothing she was clearly thanking him for. "Shall I warm the water and fetch your soap?"</p><p>“Yes please," he said and began walking to the bathroom. His father was much ruder and more demanding of the woman. Jason didn’t take that approach as he didn’t like him. With his mother dying just a few years ago, he couldn’t help but blame that on his father as well. When he finally got to the bathroom he sat aside, waiting for the tub to be warm.</p><p>Celia entered the bathroom a moment later carrying a bar of soap and set it on the counter for him. "The water is warming on the stove," she informed him before turning around and fetching pail after pail of cold water to fill the porcelain reservoir. Her intention was eventually to slowly add hot water from the stove to the cold water until the temperature was suitable for her master.</p><p>He nodded, taking his shirt and pants off before sitting idly in his underwear as he waited. He watched the maid as she walked around the room, entering and exiting with the bucket several times a minute.</p><p>She of course didn't mind that Master Jason was sitting back and watching her as she worked. That was supposed to be their entire dynamic, after all. A few minutes later, the bath was filled up with cold water. Celia then entered the bathroom carefully carrying a pot of steaming water. She began by adding about half of the pot's contents to the bath and stirring the water with her hand, keeping an eye out for any black fur that may fall off her and contaminate Jason's bathwater. Thankfully, none did. "What do you think of this temperature, Master?" she asked Jason as she took a step away from the tub.</p><p>He stood and dipped his hand in. The water was lukewarm, and just a tad warmer would be perfect. “Just warm it up a little more," he said as he took a step back, taking off his underwear to be completely naked now.</p><p>"Of course, Master," she said before adding some more hot water and stepping back so he could get in. She naturally directed her eyes well above his chest to prevent him from feeling like she was staring as he got into the tub.</p><p>Jason blushed softly as he took a step towards the tub, knowing Celia’s eyes were looking in his direction. He carefully stepping into the large porcelain tub, which was placed directly in the middle of the room.</p><p>Jason let out a soft hum as he lowered himself into the warm water. He looked over to Celia and at the soap she brought.</p><p>She handed Jason the bar of soap once he was comfortably in the tub. She mentally cursed herself for accidentally standing in a way such that she had a line of sight to his genitals. Of course, she saw his penis every night, but outside of the permitted context she didn't feel she ever should.</p><p>“Please get my sleeping garments while I wash," he said calmly to her as he dipped the soap into the water and started to rub it up and down his arms.</p><p>"Of course, Master," she said as she bowed again and left the room only to return a minute later with the specified garments.</p><p>By the time she came back, he was stood up, washing his chest and genitals, facing away from her. “Leave them and go, please," he said as he looked back at her.</p><p>"Yes, Master," she said as she turned to leave. "Shall I wait for you in your bedroom for our nightly routine?"</p><p>He nodded and continued to wash himself, dipping back down into the water as the soap suds washed off of him.</p><p>Celia went to Jason's room and started to apply lotion he had on his nightstand to her paws. Though the back of her paws were covered in thick, black fur, her palms were bare and quite comparable to human skin, even in color. She would wait for him to retire for the night, prepared to wait over an hour if he decided to take an extra long bath.</p><p>Jason shifted as he washed the rest of his body. Slowly rising out of the tub, he realized he hadn’t asked for a towel. Letting out a huff, he stepped out gingerly and went to the counter where he grabbed one and began to dry off.</p><p>Celia waited long enough that the lotion in her hands started to dry. Not wanting the sensation to be unpleasant for Jason, she applied some more.</p><p>Once he was dried off, he put on the clothes she had brought for him, headed out to his bed room, then calmly got into bed and lied back with a sigh.</p><p>"Are you comfortable, Master Jason?"</p><p>“Yes," he said quietly as he took notice of her paw, already lathered with the lotion. Blushing softly, he turned to look away from her.</p><p>"Well, let's get started, why don't we?" she said and nodded to his groin. She was expecting him to pull down his garments some so that she may have easy access. As weird as this almost always seemed to do each night, Celia knew that the physicians of the day advised this as the best way to keep young men healthy and happy.</p><p>He nodded and reached down, pulling the soft pants down to expose his genitals. He directed his gaze up at the ceiling.</p><p>"Please let me know if there's anything I can do to make this more pleasurable for you, Master." With that, she reached out her paw and began softly massaging his flaccid cock.</p><p>Jason stayed quiet, letting out a soft huff. His member started growing hard and slowly began to stand erect.</p><p>Once it was straight enough in shape, she took the dick in her paw and began slowly rubbing it up and down.</p><p>He held onto the bed sheets as she cared for his cock. It was warm to the touch, twitching in her grasp.</p><p>She picked up on his quickly growing excitement and, accordingly, picked up the rag she'd brought with her, ready to use it when necessary. She gradually increased the speed of her hand's movements, but was careful not to expose her claws to his vulnerable member.</p><p>He couldn’t help but let out a soft moan, small amounts of precum dribbling out from the young man's length.</p><p>"Is there anything I can do to make this more enjoyable for you, Master?" she asked him as she continued jerking.</p><p>“Th-that’s-“ He was cut off by his own orgasm, inhaling sharply and shooting his load off. He shut his eyes, not concerned about whether or not the cum was caught in Celia's rag.</p><p>"Oh!" she exclaimed as she hurried to catch the semen in the rag. She didn't manage to do so before some landed in her hand's fur. She then held it atop his penis as she waited for him to finish. After a short while, she couldn't tell if he was still going or not, so she asked him, "Are you finished, Master?"</p><p>“Yeah... Yeah I’m fine now," he mumbled softly, his breathing was heavy as he lied back against the soft sheets of his bed. “Thank you...” He felt awkward telling her this as it was just a routine duty of hers, but he couldn’t help but say it.</p><p>"Of course, Master." She stood up and straightened out her maid outfit. "Anything else I can do for you before you sleep?"</p><p>“Just a glass of water," he muttered, reaching down to pull his pants back over his dick.</p><p>"Yes, sir." She left the room and returned a minute later with a glass. She set it down on his bedside table. "Will that be all, Master Jason?"</p><p>By the time she came back he was already asleep, his eyes shut and mouth slightly open as he breathed gently in his sleep.</p><p>"Oh," she whispered as she noticed she'd been trying to speak to a sleeping boy. The skunk extinguished the candle at his bedside and then pulled his sheets up to his chest so that he may sleep comfortably and warmly. Lastly, she held her hair back, leaned over him, and gave him a kiss on the forehead. "Goodnight, Master Jason," she whispered before heading out the room and shutting the door behind her.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. The plan</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The next morning, Jason woke up without any real impetus to do so. Slowly rolling onto his side, he saw the glass of water, reached out to take it, and took a sip from it. Clearing his throat, he swung his legs out of bed.</p><p>He stopped to sniff the air for a moment, able to pick up on the smell of cooking meat from the floor below. Of course, in Celia's job description was to go to bed last and wake up first.</p><p>Jason smiled as he started to make his way downstairs. Breakfast was always his favorite meal, even though it was mostly the same thing every day.</p><p>Celia turned as she heard the stairs creak with the sound of her master's footsteps. "Good morning, Master Jason," she said to him with a bow. "Breakfast is almost ready."</p><p>Jason nodded, still smiling. He took a seat at the dining room table and watched Celia work in the kitchen.</p><p>A couple minutes later, Celia delivered a plate of breakfast food to the dining room table: two sausages, two eggs, and a biscuit cracked open and buttered on both sides. After setting it down in front of him, she said to Jason, "Anything else I can do for you, Master?"</p><p>He shook his head. “That’s all, thank you Celia.” The way he spoke seemed different to her. Jason never used to address the skunk by name. Seemingly he was in a much better mood since his father had left the house.</p><p>She was slightly thrown off by the way he spoke, but quickly reminded herself to act professional. She bowed again before saying, "If you need me, I'll be in the kitchen." She turned and headed into the other room, her huge, bushy tail gently swishing behind her from under her outfit's skirt as she walked.</p><p>His eyes stayed on her tail as she left, watching it swing back and forth. It looked soft, but he knew she used it to dust. She must’ve cleaned it of dirt all the time throughout the day. This thought then transitioned into memories long ago of clinging to his mother and gently toying with her long, soft hair. Shaking his head to clear him of all the thoughts as he started to eat, he stabbed the fork through one of the sausages and brought it to his mouth.</p><p>Funnily enough, Celia was in the other room removing dust from her tail just as Jason was thinking about it. She'd barely accumulated any in her dusting this morning. Thanks to the fact that she dusted every single day, she barely picked up any each time she made her rounds Still, there were occasionally some days she'd discover a shelf or a section of the home that she'd forgotten to dust off for some weeks, and on days like that her tail's white areas usually had more of a grey tint. At the moment, however, her tail was mostly clean as she sat by the stove and picked through the fluffy appendage with a comb. She remained by the stove just in case Jason wanted more breakfast, which he was known to request from time to time.</p><p>He was close to finishing his food after a few minutes of eating. As hi nibbled on the last biscuit, he called out to her, “Celia, can I have a glass of juice?"</p><p>"Of course," she said, setting down her comb and pouring him out a glass. She hoped he was referring to orange juice, as he didn't specify. But what else would the boy be drinking for breakfast?</p><p>"Here you are," she said as she set it down in front of him.</p><p>“Thanks.” He picked it up and drank from the glass, trying to figure out what he should do today.</p><p>"By the way, Master," Celia spoke before leaving the room, "today's lesson will be on geometry."</p><p>‘Oh right... School...' he thought to himself. Nodding to what she said and finishing off the glass, he stood up and took his plate, fork, and glass to the kitchen.</p><p>Celia practically pounced on Jason as he tried to take the eating utensils to the kitchen himself. "Please," Celia said, "allow me to take those for you." She held out her paws to accept them.</p><p>“A-alright.” He gently handed them to her before stepping out of the kitchen. He headed over to the classroom and took a seat in front of the table.</p><p>After taking the items to the kitchen and rinsing them off, Celia joined Jason in the 'classroom', which was actually just one of the manor's living rooms that had been designated as the site where all Jason's schooling would take place. She brought with her a small stack of parchment and set it down on the coffee table before kneeling in front of it, facing Jason across the table.</p><p>Jason was on the couch on the opposite side of the table, looking down at her as she knelt. “You can just sit on the couch if you’d like.”</p><p>She looked around the room for a moment and saw that there was just one couch that he could be referring to. He was inviting her to sit next to him. "Oh, no," the skunk said quickly. "Master Gladstone would be furious if I got so comfortable with his son."</p><p>“Well my father isn’t going to be here for three weeks, so he isn’t going to find out.” He patted the couch, scooting over and making room for Celia.</p><p>"B-but..." she stopped herself from saying any more as she felt her knees, sore from kneeling there day after day. Celia looked up at Jason. "You promise me you won't tell him?"</p><p>“Mhm." He nodded with a smile.</p><p>Hesitantly, Celia stood up and joined Jason on the couch, though she sat just about as far away from him as possible.</p><p>He looked over at her and didn’t make a move to get any closer. “So… How come you decided to become a maid?” Jason asked, trying to get to know Celia better.</p><p>She chuckled. She hadn't expected him to say anything at all unrelated to the lesson, let alone ask a question about herself. "OK, Master Jason," she said, "I think I see what you're trying to do."</p><p>“Oh? What's that?” He chuckled and sat back against the couch, looking over at her with a grin.</p><p>"You're trying to procrastinate doing your schoolwork, Master Jason."</p><p>“Nooo, of course not! I just want to know why you became a housemaid.”</p><p>She sighed with a smile. "Well, I guess I can't refuse a request. If I answer some questions for you, then will you cooperate and do your work with me?"</p><p>“I guess. So, how come?” he asked, smiling now that she was too.</p><p>"It's a pretty common occupation for female skunks," she answered. "I have a sister who is, obviously, also a skunk, and she's a housemaid as well. Shortly after turning eighteen, I started seeking manors that would have me. After a couple years of floating between houses that weren't great fits, I encountered your father, who needed help taking care of the house as your mother was growing sicker."</p><p>He nodded. As she talked, he wondered why it was specifically a skunk's job. “How come it’s common for skunks to become housemaids?” His curiosity started to show as he kept his eyes locked onto the woman he was speaking to.</p><p>"Well, there are two big reasons why," she began. "First is that our tails are really bushy, making them excellent for dusting. Second is our ability to spray, making very few people willing to rob a house with a skunk maid. Also, our fur colors match the maid outfits, which is a nice little bonus," she chuckled.</p><p>“'Spray'? What's that mean?” he immediately asked her. Having spent his entire life in this house, never leaving for more than a day at a time, he wasn’t exposed to something like that. His eyes did quickly wander her body when she mentioned how her fur matched the outfit she wore.</p><p>She looked at him strangely. "You... don't know what it means for a skunk to spray, Master Jason?" All her life, Celia couldn't recall knowing even a single person who didn't treat her and the rest of her species with a degree of either respect, fear, or animosity thanks to her frightful ability. It was inconceivable to her that Jason, someone who'd spent so much time around a skunk, wouldn't know what she was talking about.</p><p>“No… I don’t think I do?” he said with a degree of concern in his voice. “What is it...?”</p><p>"Well... hm." After a short moment of thinking, she decided that the most direct, truthful option was her best one. "Skunks have a peculiar ability we can use to defend ourselves. When threatened, or when we need to defend property, such as this manor, we can... spray this very noxious fluid from our bodies at attackers. It smells extremely foul and clings to skin, fur, and clothing extremely well." She intentionally omitted where the noxious fluid came out of, deeming it too embarrassing.</p><p>“Oh that’s... interesting...” he muttered, clearly intimidated by his maid now that he knew that.</p><p>"B-but don't worry!" she quickly reassured him. "I would never spray unless I had a very good reason to. In fact, spraying an unconsenting party for any reason other than defense is strictly illegal. If I'm caught doing it even once, I can have my scent glands cut off, which will almost certainly lead to infection and kill me... So don't worry. I don't want to spray you at all, Master Jason."</p><p>He nodded. Though he still had a hint of concern on his face, it was clearly not as much as before. “OK… Do you enjoy being a housemaid?” Jason went on, still curious about his maid — and still wanting to postpone his schoolwork.</p><p>She shrugged. "It's quite alright. I get to take a day off once every two months, and the pay that I accumulate through working isn't bad either."</p><p>“Oh, alright… Was there anything else you wanted to do besides be a maid?”</p><p>"Oh, I had a few other ideas. But unfortunately skunks don't have a lot of options in this day and age." She sighed and looked down for a moment. "It's OK, though. I'm happy being a housemaid."</p><p>“Well I’m sure you could get something other than this if you really tried...” Jason said with a shrug.</p><p>She laughed. "Trust me, Jason, I did try. It just turns out that skunk women are only ever wanted as housemaids."</p><p>“Ah alright...” He chuckled softly and gave a nod, shifting on the couch and giving the parchment on the table a short glance.</p><p>"Is that all you wanted to ask, Master Jason?" Celia asked.</p><p>“I guess so.” He shrugged.</p><p>"Very well, Master," she said as she too focused her attention back on the paper. "Now, the sum of the angles in any quadrilateral is...?"</p><p>“360 degrees?” he said, sitting forward to pay attention to the paper.</p><p>"Correct!" she said cheerily. "And in a pentagon?"</p><p>“540?” Jason said. “So what does the spray smell like?” he asked out of nowhere.</p><p>She was just about to congratulate him on another question correctly answered when he suddenly asked the question. "Uhh..." she said uncomfortably. "In a word, awful. Unbearable. I don't even know what I could compare it to that you might've smelled before."</p><p>“So, worse than cutting onions?” he asked, trying to think of one of the most unpleasant experiences he'd ever had with smell.</p><p>She laughed. "Oh yes, Master Jason. Much worse. And the sting you get in your eyes from it is far, far more painful." She paused and let him process this information for a second. "Now, I don't mean to stand in the way of your curiosity — curiosity is definitely a good thing! — but shall we get back to your schooling?"</p><p>He sighed and shrugged. “Do we have to? Father won’t know if we don’t.”</p><p>"Yes, Master Jason, we must!" the skunk maid insisted. "However, if you think your mind will be distracted with other thoughts, I can answer some more questions for you until you are satisfied."</p><p>“Well… I don’t have any questions right now, but I’m sure I’ll have more later...”</p><p>"Well let's try to get those questions out of the way now, hm? I noticed you seemed a little surprised when I mentioned I have a sister."</p><p>“Oh! Well, what’s your sister like?” he asked, a smile growing on his face immediately.</p><p>"Well, she's my little sister. Probably just a year or two older than you, actually. I exchange letters with her pretty regularly. Actually, just last week I got word that she actually had to spray someone in the manor she tends to for her first time..."</p><p>“An intruder came in?" he asked her curiously. “What’s her name?”</p><p>"Her name's Sarah. And no, it wasn't exactly an intruder. The teenage daughter of her employer had a boyfriend over, and he started to get belligerent. I don't know if you want me to go on explaining..."</p><p>“Oh… I think I know what you mean," he said faintly.</p><p>Celia nodded. "As I understand it, she's actually under investigation now for unlawful spraying," Celia said sadly. "I hope the police see reason. I know she would never spray unless totally necessary."</p><p>“Hopefully...” he said. “How long has she been a housemaid?”</p><p>"That's maybe the saddest part," Celia said. "She's only been there for around eight months. And now, after not even a year of working, she may get de-scented. Even if she survives that procedure, she'll still lose most of her usefulness as a housemaid. I just really, really hope she's not found guilty..." The skunk quickly wiped her eye and looked away from Jason. She was clearly pained by the idea of losing her sister.</p><p>“Is there a way you can go as a character witness to her trial?” he asked her softly.</p><p>"I doubt it," she said. "The travel from here to her manor is at least a full day. And as I said, I only get one day off every two months. Even if I asked Master Gladstone to save up my days, it'll be too late by the time I collect enough."</p><p>“Well, we can always go… He won’t be here to say otherwise,” Jason offered. “I’m sure we can have someone watch the manor while we’re gone?”</p><p>She looked at him with wide eyes. "W-what? No... No, Master would be furious if I took his son somewhere without his permission! I mean, you're eighteen so it wouldn't be illegal... but he'd still definitely have me fired, or worse... No." She stopped and thought for a moment. "I really, really appreciate the offer, Master Jason, but it's just not feasible. I doubt the testimony of a family member — one who's also a skunk — would hold any weight, anyway..."</p><p>“Well, maybe if the skunk has been in the business longer and is working for an esteemed member of society... I’m sure your testimony, along with testimony from the girl Sarah was protecting, it’d be a sure case,” Jason said, clearly concerned for her sister now that Celia had talked about her.</p><p>She stared into her lap and sighed before looking over to Jason. "...You're seriously offering right now? Like, this would be the nicest thing someone's ever done for me, and you just asked me about my personal life for the first time a few minutes ago."</p><p>Jason nodded, keeping his gaze fixed on Celia’s eyes. “I can’t live with all that on my mind now. So, yeah, that’s what I’d like to do while we have time by ourselves.”</p><p>Her tail slightly curled in delight behind her. "Oh, thank you, thank you, Master Jason!" she cheered before throwing herself at him in a tight hug. "I promise, I will never forget this great favor you have done for me! I am indebted to you, Master Jason!"</p><p>He blushed softly at the sudden display of happiness. This was probably the most emotion he’d ever seen her show, but he wasn't going to shy away from it. Not even being able to remember his last hug or any sign of love, he quickly hugged her back, holding the skunk just as tightly as she held him.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. The journey</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>A couple seconds later, Celia pulled away from him. "We need to pack!" she exclaimed. "Oh, u-unless you'd like me to go by myself? In fact, that probably makes more sense, actually..."</p><p>“No, I’d like to come with you. You’ll need some living proof of being the housemaid for my father after all.” He tried to hold onto the hug before she pulled off, sitting back up to try and look proper again.</p><p>"Right, o-of course," she spoke. "Does your father have a spare horse and carriage we can borrow? I suppose we can run to the local stables and check?"</p><p>“I believe there are, but check to be certain.”</p><p>She nodded to him. "I'll be back soon then."</p><p>“I’ll start to pack my things,” Jason said, standing up and heading to his room.</p><p>"Very well." She stood up off the couch and grabbed her long jacket to cover up her skimpy maid outfit some. "I'll be back shortly," she told Jason with a bow.</p><p>Jason nodded back at her. His eyes wandered her form for a moment before he turned back towards the hallway that led to his room. Taking a suitcase from his closet and setting it on his bed, he packed up a few changes of clothes. Taking a special garment bag, he put in it a suit and dress shoes for him to wear to the court hearing.</p><p>Celia returned about half an hour later. "Good news, Master Jason!" she called as she reentered the house. "Your father does indeed have a second horse and carriage. They just won't give it out to anyone who isn't a relative of his." She headed towards her own bedroom, which was originally just a storage closet that'd been stuffed with a bed and a small armoire shortly before her arrival those years ago.</p><p>“Good!” Jason said to her from the dining room, having set all his things by the front door. He waited for Celia to get ready so they could leave. Beyond happy that he could give her the courage and mindset to help her sister, as well as just plain glad to get out of the manor for any period of time.</p><p>A few more minutes later, Celia emerged from her room with a small suitcase full of what she'd need, including a copy of her contract to prove that she belonged to Master Gladstone. She'd also by now changed out of her maid outfit and was now wearing a medium-length skirt and a grey parka. "Boy, it feels weird to wear anything other than my maid outfit in this house, Master Jason," she said as she joined him in the hallway.</p><p>“Well you look nice wearing it,” Jason said, smiling back at her as his eyes quickly ran over her figure and what she was wearing. “I’ll go get the carriage. I’ll come back when it’s ready,” Jason said as he went outside toward the stables.</p><p>"Thank you, Master Jason," she said to him with a bow before taking his suitcase and hers outside and waiting for him to return.</p><p>After twenty minutes or so, Jason came back riding on the carriage, stopping it in front of the house where Celia was waiting. He waved at her before getting off, then took their suitcases and started loading them up.</p><p>"Oh, don't worry, I can carry those on!" Celia tried to say.</p><p>He didn’t let her words stop him as he loaded them onto the carriage. He opened the door and motioned her inside.</p><p>She sighed as Jason beat her to taking the belongings aboard. "You have everything you need, Master Jason?" she asked as she jumped inside.</p><p>“Mhm, just a few changes of clothes and a suit," he said. Jason climbed into the small, two-person carriage with a folding top with his maid, squeezing in next to her.</p><p>"Well, I'm ready to get going when you are."</p><p>Jason snapped the reins before sitting back for the long ride, ready to pull the leather ropes again when required to make a turn.</p><p>Celia wanted to relax and enjoy the ride, but just seemed to be too on-edge and unable to get herself to calm down. "I can't believe we're really doing this..." she whispered to Jason, keeping her voice low as if there were someone around to overhear her.</p><p>He chuckled and rolled his eyes, “What’re you so worried about?”</p><p>"We're not supposed to be doing this!"</p><p>“Well we want to do it, so it’s fine.”</p><p>"But, Master Gladstone!" she said, referring to Jason's father.</p><p>“Just don’t let him find out what we’re doing," Jason said, getting somewhat of a rush from rebelling against his father's wishes.</p><p>"But what if he finds out some other way!" she whispers. "What if they report on Sarah's trial in the papers?"</p><p>“What we’re doing is of just cause, and I, your master, want to do it. A housemaid is to obey her master, so you’re just doing your job after all.”</p><p>Celia sighed and looked down. "Yes, Master..."</p><p>“I promise nothing will happen, you have my word.”</p><p>"Thank you, Master..." she said. "And really, I do appreciate your doing this for me."</p><p>“Well you made me want to do this, filling my conscience with worry.”</p><p>"Well, you didn't need to make it sound like it's all my fault I made you worry about me..."</p><p>“It is," he teased her with a soft chuckle.</p><p>"Oh no... " she moaned, dropping her head in her hands.</p><p>“It’s fine, I promise. I still want to do this myself.”</p><p>"But is it safe for you?" she asked as they rode. "I mean, you hardly ever leave the house. Have you ever even been to a big city?"</p><p>“Well I have you, don’t I? You can spray to protect us.”</p><p>"What, and risk getting deglanded myself?!" she asked him as if he were crazy.</p><p>“I-I didn’t mean it like that!” Jason responded quickly.</p><p>"Then what did you mean?" she blurted out before reminding herself of her manners and Jason's superiority to her. "I- I'm sorry, Master Jason... I was thinking about my sister, and let my emotions get the better of me. I'll be quiet..."</p><p>“It’s fine… I just said that because you were concerned for my safety. I’ve got you here to protect me, and you’ve been out much more than I have.”</p><p>"Well... Just believe me, ok, you don't want me to spray. On top of the legal danger, you'd probably fall over coughing, so we wouldn't even be able to escape."</p><p>“Alright… Well, you’ve at least got claws.”</p><p>"That's true," she nodded. "If possible, that's probably the route we should take. Spraying is exclusively a last resort, just as I'm sure it was for my sister..."</p><p>“I’m more than certain it was," Jason said reassuringly.</p><p>"Thank you, Master..." she said softly and sniffled. She turned away from Jason and stared out the window.</p>
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<a name="section0004"><h2>4. The first stop</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The trip was expected to take about two days. The pair had been traveling in the carriage for about ten hours when the sun set and the town that laid between the manor and where the court case was to be held was in sight. The skunk had spent most of the daylight hours reading a law book she'd found in her master's study. However, thanks to just how enormous it was, she barely even read through the opening section about courtroom formalities and general practices.</p><p>They found themselves in a small but certainly lively village. It was used mostly by more elite members of society to stop in for a night as they made longer journeys, and the townsfolk conducted themselves accordingly.</p><p>Jason steered the carriage in front of a well-known inn, one that most uppity of people would no doubt be staying in. He stopped so that Celia could get out in front and start making the needed arrangements while he would tie up the horse and carriage behind the inn and then come to meet her in the lobby.</p><p>As Celia stepped out of the carriage, she found herself outside her manor's hometown for the first time in at least two years. She'd almost forgotten how to socialize with those outside of the Gladstone family. A short ways down the street, there were some drunkards stumbling between pubs or taverns. Closer by, some people were eating at outdoor restaurants.</p><p>Once inside, she walked to the front desk and started talking with the clerk. After a few minutes, she turned around to see Jason waiting for her. She walked over to him, a large, iron key in hand. "We're ready to go, Master."</p><p>He nodded to the hallway that was labeled ‘Rooms.’ “Lead the way," he said, picking their suitcases up.</p><p>As they walked down the hall, a man, apparently drunk, stumbled out of his room. "Evenin', darlin'," he slurred to Celia with an unsettling smile. She ignored him and walked on, keeping an eye out for a room labeled '17'.</p><p>Jason didn’t take notice of the room number but looked at the man with disgust as they walked past. “How can people let themselves act like that...?” He asked in a hushed tone.</p><p>"I don't know, Master. Just alcohol, I suppose," she said before finally finding room 17. As she fiddled with putting the key in the keyhole, she continued, "Your father's acted like that with me a small number of times after he's drank too much."</p><p>“Did he ever… go any further than just that?” he asked. What she said gave him even more of a distaste for his father than he already had.</p><p>"Just a couple times," she said as the door finally came unlocked and she pushed it open. "It never got too bad, just a little uncomfortable." She led the way inside, where she found there was only one bed. "...Oh."</p><p>He walked in and put everything down in front of the bed. “Um… well it’s big enough at least.” Jason commented, walking into the bathroom and closing the door.</p><p>"Of course," she said. "I'll take a blanket and sleep on the floor."</p><p>Jason didn’t hear what she had said while he was relieving himself in the bathroom. The soft splashing of his urine hitting the toilet water could be heard from outside the bathroom.</p><p>"Oh," she murmured before walking away from the bathroom to let Jason have his privacy. She then started pulling a sheet off the bed and laying it down on the floor.</p><p>Jason exited the bathroom a minute later. Back in the room, he saw Celia placing a blanket on the floor. “Celia… what’re you doing?”</p><p>"I'll sleep on the floor," she told him, "and you'll get the bed, Master Jason."</p><p>“The bed is big enough for both of us," he repeated what he said earlier.</p><p>"But I of course can't sleep in the same bed as you, Master."</p><p>“Why not?” he asked, clearly upset she wanted to sleep on the floor. “We sat in the carriage for nearly twelve hours! I’m sure your back hurts.”</p><p>"A little... But no, it's improper, Master Jason. I'll be fine on the floor. You're already doing so much for me."</p><p>“Celia I don’t want you to sleep on the floor," Jason said. “There’s enough pillows and everything…"</p><p>"But... we're talking about a human boy laying with a furred girl. Worse still, a maid laying with her master's son!"</p><p>“Nobody will know, the door's locked! Celia, please!” he pled.</p><p>The seemingly urgent tone in his voice persuaded her some. She stopped and thought for a moment. "...Are you ordering me to share your bed with you, Master Jason?"</p><p>He paused for a moment, realizing how easy it could've been. “Yes, I’m ordering you to sleep in the bed with me.”</p><p>She bowed. "As you wish, Master." She bent over and picked up the bedsheet she'd laid out on the floor and placed it back on the bed. "Would you like to get dinner before heading to bed?"</p><p>“I suppose we can," Jason nodded, happy that the argument was over with. He walked over to the door, ready to leave.</p><p>Celia grabbed her small coin purse and led the way out the door, then started down the hall.</p><p>As they walked down the hallway Jason kept an eye out for that man from earlier. The man wasn't in the hallway, but was loitering inside the inn's lobby, where he immediately perked up upon seeing Celia again.</p><p>"Well, hello again, stripey!" he called to the skunk in a drunken manner.</p><p>Jason immediately put himself between the drunken man and his housemaid. “Leave us be," Jason said, not aware that the best way to deal with these people was to just keep an eye on them and ignore what they say.</p><p>"I'm just tryin' ta get friendly," he said to Jason. "Best stay out of our flirting, little man." He added a small smirk.</p><p>"Jason, let's just go," Celia whispered to her master.</p><p>Jason didn’t object to what Celia said, she knew best. Looking over at the drunken man before following Celia out of the inn. Around the area were a few smaller pubs and a restaurant. The sign above the building across the street read ‘The Silver Spoon’ and seemed like a more upscale establishment, in tune with the general atmosphere of the town.</p><p>As they left, the human man could be heard saying something lewd about Celia's tail before being snapped at by the innkeeper. "How's that place look to you?" she asked Jason, motioning to The Silver Spoon.</p><p>“It looks fine,” Jason said. Through the windows one could see that the restaurant was very well-lit and overall quite clean. “We should probably ask for a table that’s sort of isolated, just to be safe.”</p><p>"That's a good idea, Master Jason," Celia said before leading the way over to the restaurant, coin purse in hand.</p><p>“I’m sorry, I should have brought money with me… I’ll make sure that Father reimburses you…” Jason offered, keeping to her side.</p><p>She shook her head as they entered the restaurant. "Not a chance, Master Jason. This is a personal trip, I'll pay for it out of pocket." She said the next part under her breath, "Even if it does cost me my entire savings..."</p>
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<a name="section0005"><h2>5. The second night</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>After dinner, Celia led Jason back across the street toward the inn. She was still the slightest bit hungry and cursed herself for not packing any food for the trip before leaving Gladstone Manor. She must've been in so much of a rush to go help her sister that it slipped her mind.</p><p>Though it was dark out, Celia could just barely make out the figure of someone on the ground outside their inn. As they got closer, she realized it was the same drunk from earlier in the night.</p><p>"'Ey, darlin'," he slurs. "Yous two got me thrown out of my room. Now I think you owe me a place to sleep... How about between your fluffy legs?"</p><p>Jason looked at the man with a look of complete disgust. Reaching down and taking Celia by the hand, he steered them in a loop around the drunk.</p><p>"'Ey, I'm talkin' ta you!" he shouted at them as they hurried inside.</p><p>"That guy's gotta look out for more trigger-happy skunks. He's gonna get sprayed one of these days if he keeps that up."</p><p>“He deserves it...” Jason mumbled. What he had said disturbed the young human. Jason led them down the hallway, keeping a grip on Celia’s hand as they finally got to the room. He waited for Celia to open it for them.</p><p>She pulled out her key from a jacket pocket and unlocked the door, making sure to lock it again once they were inside. "So... You said same bed?"</p><p>“Yeah… same bed.” He immediately went for his suitcase, pulling out his nightwear. Without a bit of shame Jason got undressed and into the clothes he would be sleeping in.</p><p>She nodded. "And I presume the same nightly routine, Master?" She walked over to her suitcase and grabbed the lightest set of clothes she owned: her maid outfit.</p><p>Jason gave a slight shrug. Knowing the purpose was to calm and relax him, he figured it would probably be the best thing for him. Climbing into bed, he smiled when he saw Celia getting out the familiar maid outfit.</p><p>Celia stepped into the bathroom to change and emerged a minute later. "Are you ready for it now, Master Jason?"</p><p>He nodded and pulled his sleeping pants down to reveal his dick to her.</p><p>"Oh dear, Master..." Celia said. "I didn't pack any lotion. Do you mind if this is slightly less smooth than usual?"</p><p>“Okay… There isn’t any other way to make it smooth? Remember when we were out of lotion a few months ago? It didn’t feel as good as it did with it.”</p><p>"I-" she stopped herself. "Well, there is one way I can think of... Though it's much more intimate than either of us are used to, Master Jason..."</p><p>“Well what is it...?” Jason asked, a little concerned.</p><p>"I could... use my mouth to lubricate it, Master," the maid suggested hesitantly.</p><p>Jason blushed deeply as she said that. The idea itself embarrassed him. “If that’s the only way.”</p><p>"As you wish, Master." Celia walked closer to him, kneeling beside the bed. "Are you ready, Master Jason?"</p><p>He nodded, shifting nervously on the bed before laying back, looking up at his housemaid. He was curious as to what this would feel like.</p><p>She then leaned in and slowly lowered her mouth onto his member, careful to keep her teeth far out of the way. She then gradually took the whole thing inside her, taking it all the way to its base.</p><p>Jason let out a soft moan. The warmth of her mouth felt great on his length, her saliva coating his shaft.</p><p>Once she'd enveloped the whole thing, she pulled herself off of him and then began jerking him with her paw as normal.</p><p>Jason was about to protest her resuming the normal routine before he stopped himself, knowing that she most likely didn’t want to be down there longer then she had to. </p><p>The saliva that coated his dick didn’t feel as good as the lotion. He could feel it dry rather quicker than the lotion would have.</p><p>As she felt her saliva starting to dry much sooner than the lotion would, she leaned over again and took his dick into her mouth for a second time.</p><p>“A-aah..” Jason moaned and buckled his knees some. This was the most intense feeling he’d ever felt and it showed in his clenched eyes and his scrunching toes.</p><p>"Feel like you will finish soon, Master Jason?" Celia asked after pulling his dick out of her mouth for the second time. As she hadn't brought a rag for him, she'd taken a towel out of the bathroom and now held it in her free hand.</p><p>“Yes…" He groaned as he pushed his hips into her hand, his body squirming and shifting more than it ever had during their nightly routine.</p><p>She nodded respectfully. "I'm glad you're enjoying yourself, Master." She then picked up her pace, holding the towel closer to his penis so that she may catch his ejaculate sooner.</p><p>Jason couldn’t help but gasp and let out a sharp moan as he came, shooting his warm load into the towel. That which didn’t shoot onto the towel was caught in the fur of her paws and a small amount on the sheets.</p><p>She sped up slightly as he began to orgasm, wanting to get every last bit of it out.</p><p>He whimpered softly as she got the last of his cum out, fluid dribbling onto her paws</p><p>She felt some of the warm fluid drip out onto her hands but ignored it for the time being. "Are you finished, Master Jason?"</p><p>He gave a slow nod, waiting for her to move her hand away so he could pull his pants up.</p><p>"Very well, Master," she said with a nod. She stood up and walked to the bathroom to clean herself off.</p><p>He reached down to pull up his pants, letting out a soft sigh.</p><p>A minute later, she rejoined him in the room. "Would you still like me to share your bed, Master Jason?"</p><p>He nodded and pulled up the other side of the bed's sheets.</p><p>Without saying anything else, she climbed into bed and under the covers with Jason. She was careful to take up, at most, a fourth of the bed space to give Jason all the space he needed. "Are you comfortable, Master Jason?"</p><p>“I’m fine. You can spread out more if you'd like. You make my bed, you know I barely use half of it," he said, still facing her as she got comfortable.</p><p>She shook her head. "I'm the guest in your bed, Master," she told him. "You deserve the majority of the room."</p><p>“Celia, it really doesn’t matter to me…" he said with a sigh as he rolled over to face away from her, just giving up on arguing with her.</p><p>She didn't reply, just shutting her eyes and trying to fall asleep.</p><p>Jason didn’t take much longer to fall asleep, breathing softly as he laid still, barely moving a muscle as he slept.</p><p>Celia remained awake in bed for a long while. She was too stressed about the whole reason behind their trip. She was excited to see her sister tomorrow, sure, but that didn't make her any more like why they had to visit. After quite some time, however, she did manage to succumb to exhaustion.</p>
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<a name="section0006"><h2>6. The following morning</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Jason woke up the next morning, peeking out of the covers and letting out a soft yawn.</p><p>Celia had already been up, but oddly enough, was not in the room. Jason found himself all alone.</p><p>“Celia...?” he said softly as he sat up, slowly getting out of bed and going to the bathroom to check if she was there.</p><p>Shortly after he spoke, the door to their room opened. Celia entered, carrying a tray of eggs, sausage links, and a biscuit: Jason's usual breakfast back at the manor. "Good morning, Master Jason!"</p><p>“Good morning… Where did you get that from?” he asked in a concerned way.</p><p>"A nearby restaurant," she answered. "They want me to take the tray back when we're done with it. The good news though is that drunkard from last night was nowhere to be seen."</p><p>“Did it cost you a lot?” Jason asked in the same concerned tone.</p><p>She shook her head. "Don't you worry about that, Master. Just eat." She set the tray down in front of Jason.</p><p>He looked up at her and nodded, but took one half of the biscuit and offered it for her. “You have to eat too...”</p><p>"I already ate something at the restaurant," she lied through her teeth. "Now eat up!"</p><p>“You promise you’re not lying?” he asked softly, his hand lowering back to the tray.</p><p>She just smiled at him and slid the tray a little closer.</p><p>He nodded and started to eat, eating as quickly as he could so they could leave the town.</p><p>"Would you like to change before we head out, Master Jason?"</p><p>Jason nodded and got off the edge of the bed, grabbing a fresh set of clothes and putting it on.</p><p>"Oh, excuse me then," she said, heading toward the bathroom to give Jason his privacy.</p><p>Jason didn’t care whether she was in the room or not, just continuing to change into his normal clothes, folding up what he slept in, and putting it away in the suitcase. “I’m ready to leave.”</p><p>She re-emerged from the bathroom. "Very well, Master," she said with a bow. "I shall untie our horse. Will you meet me out front with our luggage?"</p><p>He nodded and she left. Jason finished the last of his food before picking up both their suitcases and heading to the front lobby, making sure to bring the tray with him.</p><p>A few minutes later, she met him in the street in front of the inn. She hopped off the carriage to help Jason load in their belongings.</p><p>“What restaurant is it? I’ll take it over there,” Jason asked as he helped load their things up.</p><p>She lifted the first suitcase up into their carriage. "That one," she said, pointing a short ways down the street.</p><p>He nodded and started towards the building she pointed at, keeping the tray in his hand as he walked.</p><p>She loaded their second and final suitcase onboard, then just waited for Jason to get back. She would've ridden her horse over to meet him outside the restaurant, but she didn't know how to command the horse.</p><p>Jason walked inside the restaurant and approached the front counter. “A skunk, Celia, came and borrowed this tray earlier. I came to give it back.”</p><p>"Right, thanks hun," the hostess said, taking the tray back from the young man and putting it away.</p><p>“Did she order anything when she came in?” he asked in a soft voice</p><p>"Yessir," she said, "two sausages, two eggs, and a biscuit."</p><p>“No I mean… anything other than what she took out of the restaurant on that tray?”</p><p>"No sir," she said, "just what she carried outta here."</p><p>Can I… A-alright, thank you...” Jason mumbled and headed out of the building back to where Celia was.</p><p>"Come again soon," the woman called out to Jason as he left.</p><p>"Ready to go, Master?" Celia asked Jason as he got close to their vehicle.</p><p>Jason climbed into the carriage and sat down with a sigh. “You didn’t eat anything...”</p><p>"What?" she said. "How do you know?"</p><p>“I asked the person at the restaurant.”</p><p>Celia sighed. "Master... Why did you do that? I don't need to eat breakfast."</p><p>“Yes you need to eat breakfast,” Jason mumbled and crossed his arms.</p><p>"I'm not hungry, Master Jason. Now please, get the horse moving. We want to make it to my sister's before sundown."</p><p>Jason nodded and gently whipped the reins, steering the horse onto the main road.</p><p>"Thank you, Master," she said to him as they got moving.</p><p>He sighed and kept them going for about an hour before he said anything. “When was the last time you talked to your sister?”</p><p>"In person? Two or three years ago... My gods, she'll have grown so much."</p><p>Jason nodded. “Just in letters since then?” he asked as they continued.</p><p>She nodded, "Yes, Master."</p><p>“I’m sure she’ll be really happy to see you,” Jason said, setting the reins on a small pole to keep them held in place.</p><p>"Mhm," she agreed. "This'll probably also be my first time seeing another skunk in the same amount of time. That'll be weird. I'll have to remind myself I'm not looking in a mirror."</p><p>Jason chuckled softly and nodded. “Well I’m excited for you.” Jason smiles at her as the horse kept going on the road.</p><p>"Thank you, Master Jason."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. The reunion</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sarah was working outside, watering the flowers and pruning the bushes, when she noticed an unfamiliar horse and small carriage approach her master's manor. 'Well this is unexpected,' she thought. As the carriage drew closer, she could see that it had two occupants, and one seemed to be primarily black with white stripes, much like herself. She thought this even more odd. Perhaps some skunk activism group had heard about her trial and was coming to defend her? She approached the carriage as it drew closer to the estate.</p><p>Jason gently pulled on the reins to command the horse to stop. “Wanna go meet her? She looks excited,” Jason said with a smile to Celia.</p><p>Celia slowly nodded. She looked frozen. "I'm... I'm so nervous!" she whispered to Jason. "It's been so long!"</p><p>"'Lo, visitors!" Sarah called out to the carriage as she walked up to it. As she got closer, Celia and Jason could tell she was wearing brown leather overalls, apparently suited for garden work. "How may I-" she cut herself off. "Celia?"</p><p>Celia tried to respond, but couldn't do more than stammer. What was there even to say after all these years?</p><p>Jason grinned stupidly and gently nudged her shoulder.</p><p>She swallowed hard. "S-Sarah, we came for your trial," Celia choked out, feeling as if she could cry. "We're not gonna let them..." She couldn't say more. She'd never been so at a loss for words in her life.</p><p>“She’s here to be a character witness for you," Jason said to Sarah.</p><p>Sarah's features immediately softened. "Celia... get down here," she said playfully. Celia obliged and descended from the carriage, where she was immediately rushed over to by Sarah and pulled into the tightest hug in her memory.</p><p>This close to her sister, Celia could now smell the not-too-faint odor of skunk musk. It wasn't pleasant, but it could also be a lot worse.</p><p>“Where should I bring this?” Jason asked Sarah, referring to the carriage and horse.</p><p>Sarah pulled out of the hug as Jason called out to her. She was slightly unhappy he pulled her out of the tender sisterly moment, but figured the baron's kid just wasn't so skilled at social interaction. That definitely wasn't unusual for his type. "Um," the younger skunk said, wiping her eye, "around the back. Follow me. C'mon, Celia." She turned around and walked with her sister around the left side of the house, catching up with her as they went.</p><p>Jason didn’t take much notice of what he had done, gently whipping the reins and making the horse slowly follow Sarah.</p><p>The two skunk sisters caught up some as they walked, discussing the letters they'd exchanged recently and what the state of the trial was now, before coming to the stables, where Celia stayed outside and Sarah led the horse inside to tie it up.</p><p>Jason got out of the carriage before entering the stable to help Sarah get their horse situated. “Thank you," he said politely to her.</p><p>"Any chance you could show us around your manor?" Celia asked Sarah as she and Jason exited the stable.</p><p>"I would," she said, "but I'm not permitted inside lately."</p><p>“How come?” Jason asked. He knew the answer but more so wanted the reasoning behind it.</p><p>"The smell," Sarah sighed. "I'm sure you're able to detect it even from where you're standing now." She motioned to the few feet between Jason and herself. "They want me to keep working for them, but still can't stand the smell. So I'm sort of just exiled outside."</p><p>Jason didn’t take much notice of the smell until Sarah had mentioned it. Wrinkling his nose and nodding. “How much longer until it wears off?” Jason asked her, trying to remain polite and not act too annoyed by the smell</p><p>Sarah shrugged. "Could be another week or two, maybe even more. If you'd like, though, I can introduce you to my masters at the doorway. Hopefully they'll be kind enough to let you stay."</p><p>Jason nodded. “That’d be nice, thank you.”</p><p>"Follow me then, sir and Celia." She led the way back around the house to the front desk. Immediately after knocking on the door, she stepped several feet back from it, presumably so her masters wouldn't have to smell her.</p><p>Jason looked back at her, then to the front door. He heard the soft clacking of shoes against the presumably wooden floor before seeing the large doors open up.</p><p>A young human woman opened the door, presumably the very same one whom Sarah had defended using her musk. "Hey, Sar–" she began as she opened the door, presumably seeing the black and white fur pattern and mistaking Celia for Sarah. As she noticed she was mistaken, however, she visibly became nervous. The door now open all the way, she could see Sarah standing well behind Celia and Jason. "Sarah?" the girl said. "Who are these?"</p><p>Jason stayed silent, looking over at the woman who stood in front of him. He decided to let Sarah introduce them as she wanted.</p><p>"Mistress Marie, these are my sister, Celia, and her master, Jason. They're here for my trial tomorrow. I'm asking your permission for them to spend the night here instead of at an inn."</p><p>"I'll have to check with my parents," Marie replied. "They're gonna be out until later this evening, but until then they're welcome inside. Of course, you're not, Sarah."</p><p>Jason sighed softly and nodded. “Thank you Marie," he said politely to the young woman. “Do you want to stay here with your sister or join me inside?” Jason asked Celia.</p><p>"I'll stay out here and catch up with Sarah. You go ahead inside, Master Jason."</p><p>Jason then turned and walked over to the front door where Marie was standing.</p><p>"What did she say your name was?" the human girl asked Jason as she shut the door behind him. The two skunk girls were left outside to talk with each other.</p><p>“Jason," he said to her as he stepped past and into the foyer. As he walked by, he was able to smell a light scent of skunk on Marie too. She must've been close by when Sarah sprayed.</p><p>"Nice to meet you, Jason. I'm Marie, as you already heard. And you're the owner of... who was it? Cecilia?" She led him into the living room.</p><p>“Celia. I don’t really own her...” Jason was weirded out by the way she worded that.</p><p>"Well, she's your maid, isn't she? Then she contractually belongs to you, or at least to your family." She sat down on the couch.</p><p>“Well, I mean, she just works for us… She’s still her own person,” Jason said as he slowly sat down on the couch opposite Marie so he could face her.</p><p>She chuckled a little. "Well, I guess, yeah. So why'd you come with her? Why couldn't you just send her on her own?"</p><p>“I just wanted to come too, I guess. I’d be the only one home and… I suppose I just didn’t want to be lonely.”</p><p>"I see. So you must like her somewhat, huh?" Marie crossed her arms.</p><p>“She was the one who raised me after my mother died...” Jason mumbled to her.</p><p>"Oh, I see..." Marie realized she'd crossed something of a line. "Well, that makes sense then... So, are you ready for Sarah's trial tomorrow?"</p><p>“Well, I won’t really be doing anything, but yeah, I hope it goes well and Sarah gets to keep her glands.”</p><p>"I hope she doesn't," Marie said, nose wrinkling. "That stuff stunk. I had to burn all the clothes I had on and my bedsheets."</p><p>“But it’d be stupid if they took them out. She used them in a right way.”</p><p>"Yeah, but they stink," Marie retorted. "She can defend us in a less repulsive way next time. And my boyfriend still stinks, way worse than Sarah does now."</p><p>“You’re still with him?” Jason asked, baffled that she would be.</p><p>"Well, yeah. He made a mistake and he got kind of violent, but that doesn't mean I don't love him. And it definitely doesn't mean he deserved to have that sprayed all over him!" She spoke with the naiveté of someone half her age.</p><p>“You don’t think that him being violent with you warranted that?”</p><p>"She should've just asked him to leave some more!" Marie argued. "All he did was hit me a couple times and shove Sarah over once!"</p><p>“And that’s okay?!” he asked, completely shocked.</p><p>"Like I said, it was just a mistake, and it definitely didn't warrant her letting her stink-juice fly. Gods, if I'd known you'd be such a skunk-defender, I would never have let you inside."</p><p>“Just because they’re skunks doesn’t mean anything...” Jason mumbled, feeling attacked.</p><p>"Uh, it kinda does," she said cockily. "It means they're animals, unlike you and me."</p><p>“I-I really don’t think that’s the case… They’re still people, like us. If you think so lowly of skunks why do you even want her to still be your maid?”</p><p>"Because that's what furreds do," Marie said. "They serve us. That's their place. And I don't care who cleans our house. In fact, I'd love it if my parents just bought a new maid who wasn't a skunk, but it's apparently a status symbol or something to have a skunk as your maid." She shrugged.</p><p>Jason was about to say something beyond profane along the lines of her being a sick-minded bitch, but decided it’d be best to keep his mouth shut.</p><p>"See? It makes sense when explained that way." She stood up and walked over to a window from which the stables were visible. There, Marie could see Celia and Sarah chatting and laughing outside the place where Sarah had been spending the past several nights. "Maybe you should call your maid in for the night," Marie called to Jason. "It's almost dark, and if she spends too much time around Sarah, the stink will cling to her, too."</p><p>“I don’t think that’s how that works… They haven’t seen each other in years. I don’t see a problem with them enjoying each other’s company for a while.” Jason said as she looked over at her from the couch. “And her name is Celia...”</p><p>"It doesn't matter," Marie chuckled. She then cocked her head to see something a little further out the window. "Oh, looks like my parents are home. Let's go meet them outside before they start freaking about the two skunks in our yard."</p><p>“Okay.” Jason nodded as he stood, walking to the front door and waiting for Marie.</p><p>The other human joined Jason at the front door and led the way outside. She hurried over to her parents' horse and carriage and began explaining the situation. After a couple minutes, Marie walked back over to Jason while her parents headed inside. "So, they said it's ok for you and Cecilia to spend the night here," she said. "However, only you can sleep inside. They said your maid has to sleep in the stables with Sarah, something about 'not wanting a repeat of last week', or something."</p><p>“It’s Celia… I’ll go and tell her.” He huffed as he walked over to Sarah and Celia. “That woman is dreadful," he said in a tired tone as he got within earshot of them.</p><p>Sarah tilted her head to the side slightly. She saw no reason why another human would dislike Marie. "Why? Did she still stink too?"</p><p>“No, she’s just a horrible person...” Jason huffed and looked over at Celia. “Her father and mother want you to stay out here for the night.”</p><p>"Oh..." Celia said. "Well, that's alright. I'm sure that'll just give Sarah and me more time to catch up, right? Where will you be staying, Master Jason?"</p><p>“I’ll be inside...” he said to her, upset she couldn’t come with him.</p><p>"Oh... ok," Celia said, forcing a smile. She'd privately hoped her master would sleep outside with her, but it was understandable how a human who'd grown accustomed to a certain lifestyle might prefer to stay indoors.</p><p>“But if she keeps annoying me I may just come out here, he said with a soft chuckle.</p><p>"Oh, don't worry about her," Sarah said. "You'll probably be sleeping in my room, so you'll be away from her. Now, are you two hungry at all from the trip here?"</p><p>“Yeah I’m pretty hungry.” Jason smiles some at her.</p><p>"I'm starving," Celia said.</p><p>"Well, why don't we walk into town for something to eat? I'll pay, of course."</p><p>“Thank you Sarah. You need to talk some sense into your sister — she doesn’t eat.”</p><p>"Celia!"</p><p>"Only when it's prohibitively expensive!" the older skunk defended herself. "Anyway, lead the way into town."</p><p>Sarah shook her head with a laugh and turned to lead the other two.</p><p>Jason laughed softly and followed Sarah.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. The story</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“How do you like it here?” Jason asked Sarah as they started down the road.</p><p>She shrugged. "It's fine. Same as most other manors, I presume. They treat you like shit, but a job is a job."</p><p>"Sarah!" Celia hissed. "Watch your language around my master!"</p><p>“W-well I don’t think I treat Celia badly...” Jason mumbled before thinking about it, realizing that only Celia could be the judge of that.</p><p>"That's right, Master," Celia said with a bow. "You act quite kindly to me, and I thank you for that."</p><p>"Well, at least one of us scored a nice family," Sarah huffed.</p><p>“Marie is a total bitch," Jason said cold-heartedly.</p><p>Sarah looked over her shoulder at the human boy. "Well that was unexpected from you, Jason. Though I agree, what makes you say that?"</p><p>“She was just bad-mouthing you the entire time I was in there with her. She said that skunks and all other furreds aren’t people, just animals.” A clear distaste was in his mouth as he talked about it.</p><p>Celia looked a bit shocked but Sarah just sighed.</p><p>"Yeah," the younger skunk said, "her whole family is kind of like that. They only care about us for how we can serve them. I suspect they got a skunk as a maid just because that's what everyone else does. Probably didn't even know I could spray, 'else they would've opted for just some cat."</p><p>“Yeah, that’s what she said.” He sighed. “Something about it being a status symbol… I think that’s all disgusting.”</p><p>"Yeah, but what can you do?" said Sarah. "Heh, I can tell you at least one person who didn't know what skunks can do: the kid I sprayed. You should've seen his face the instant after it hit him, total shock, confusion, and disgust." Sarah laughed as they entered town.</p><p>"Sarah!" Celia hissed at her sister. "Don't be so proud of that! It's terrible that you had to spray at all!"</p><p>“I mean the shock of it is pretty funny.” He laughed with her. “Marie said she didn’t think it was appropriate, even though he hit her multiple times and shoved Sarah.”</p><p>Sarah scoffed. "Yeah, that sounds about typical of her. She's obsessed with that stupid boyfriend of hers. Nothing he does is wrong in her eyes." As they walked through the town, a couple people could be seen wrinkling their noses at Sarah and Celia, though it wasn't completely obvious whether they could smell Sarah or if it was just because they'd heard she sprayed that boy.</p><p>“So idiotic,” Jason said and shook his head as he followed Sarah.</p><p>"Here, follow me," Sarah said as she took a turn down another street. "There's this place that's owned by other furreds, and they have outside seating," she told the other two.</p><p>He nodded and kept following behind Sarah, wondering how many of the townsfolk had looked at them in disgust by now.</p><p>"Oh, don't mind the dirty looks, Celia," Sarah told her sister. "They just think that you're me."</p><p>Shortly thereafter, the small party was sitting outside in the furred-owned restaurant Sarah had told them about, apparently the only one in town. Predictably, they were placed in the outside seating area out of courtesy for other patrons.</p><p>Jason took a seat next to Celia. He wouldn’t say it out loud but he felt much safer near her than when they were separated. He quietly picked up the menu and began going over it.</p><p>Celia and Sarah had already largely caught up on how their lives had been as of late, so they were somewhat lacking in topics of conversation by now. The two girls just read the paper menus in silence, as Jason had already been doing.</p><p>After a few minutes of sitting in silence, a small, short-haired canine walked over to their table. He cleared his throat as his sensitive nose immediately caught on to the musky scent emanating from the party of three. “Erm… have you all decided?”</p><p>Celia shut her menu. "Yes, sir," the skunk said. "I'll have the vegetable soup."</p><p>"And I the chicken breast," Sarah chimed in.</p><p>“I'd like the chicken breast too, please,” Jason said, looking up at him. He closed the menu and put it back into the table.</p><p>"Thank you, I'll have that out soon." The man tried to bow before leaving, but made the mistake of leaning in even closer to Sarah, launching him into a violent coughing fit. Knowing it wouldn't resolve itself anytime soon, he just coughed into his fist and hurried back inside.</p><p>“That uh… seemed a little overdramatic?” Jason said to the skunks at the table.</p><p>Sarah shook her head. "I've been doing that to all the canines that get close to me as of late. I'm sure he couldn't help it."</p><p>“Well their noses are more sensitive, right?” Jason said, looking to Celia for approval on his statement.</p><p>"That's right, Master," Celia said. "Canines tend to have extremely sensitive noses. I've even read that they can pick up on a skunk's scent from ten miles away. Obviously, that doesn't apply to a scent as faint as Sarah's is right now, but it does demonstrate how intense it must be for the poor guy when up this close."</p><p>“I bet he couldn’t sleep the night she sprayed," he said with a light chuckle.</p><p>"Y'know, you're probably right," Sarah laughed with him. "All those humans frowning at me in the street, when it should be this guy who's most pissed at me."</p><p>Jason chuckled and took a sip of his water, looking around at the outside scenery.</p><p>"So, Sarah, what exactly happened that night?" Celia asked. "I mean, I'm sure you were justified in spraying, but how'd it happen?"</p><p>"Fine, I'll tell you," Sarah said.</p><p>Jason looked over, attentive to what she would be telling them.</p><p>"I heard Marie and her boyfriend, Devon, fighting in Marie's room. She was screaming something about another girl and he was, of course, denying it. You know, usual teenage drama. I walked in, planning on asking them to keep it down because her parents were sleeping. However, I walked in just as Devon slapped Marie across the face. That's when I raised my voice and ordered him out. By this point, I'll admit, my tail was up. He looked over to me and said something rude about my being a furred, but then I thought he was agreeing to leave, because he started toward the doorway. I stepped aside to let him pass, and that's when he shoved me with his whole body. I landed on my side several feet away. He then seemed like he hadn't had enough yet, because he approached me again, malice in his eyes. This time I knew he was coming for me specifically, because if he wanted to leave, he could have headed down the hall, but instead he was coming in my direction. That's when I sprayed him. My tail was already up and I was wearing my maid outfit, so the only thing that stood between him and myself was a thin pair of underwear — sorry, Jason, that might be a little lewd for you. But that's how it happened."</p><p>Jason gave a short shrug. “I don’t think it was lewd, and it sounds like a complete case of self-defense, as well as defense of the household and its members.”</p><p>"It was," Sarah said. "The issue comes with getting Marie to testify the same thing, which I doubt she will. And the boy I sprayed comes from a powerful family, almost as rich as Marie's. They'll be able to hire a good lawyer... Can I tell you guys something?"</p><p>“What is it?” Jason asked.</p><p>"I'm probably going to be found guilty tomorrow," Sarah said, "and then I'm probably going to get deglanded. If that happens, I'm probably going to die shortly after. I just wanted to thank you guys for caring so much as to come all the way up here just for my sake."</p><p>Celia's eyes quickly began welling up with tears. "Sarah... d-d-don't say that about yourself!"</p><p>“No! It’ll all be fine!” Jason quickly said, beyond concerned now that Sarah had gone and blatantly accepted her fate.</p><p>"Come on guys... Be realistic." Sarah was now starting to weep too. "People like me and Celia don't make it out of situations like this. Skunk maids are meant to be single-use commodities. You buy us to deter home invaders, have us spray in case one comes anyway, then let us die from infection and you buy a new one. Come on, Jason, surely you know that."</p><p>“No, I don’t because I don’t hate Celia like Marie and her family hate you, Sarah! They think of you as nothing but an animal! You shouldn’t just accept that!” Jason said passionately.</p><p>"Then what am I supposed to do, Jason?!" she shouted back at him.</p><p>Celia would've tried to add something, but she was crying too hard to speak.</p><p>“I-I don’t know! Take it one step at a time…!" Jason mumbled defeatedly. “You shouldn’t just give up all hope so soon, we have Celia here to be your character witness. I think they’ll listen somewhat.”</p><p>"I'll try..." Sarah choked out. "But I don't think we should get our hopes up. Still, I like your optimism. It's clear Celia got lucky with such a good master."</p><p>“Thank you,” Jason said to her. “Just try to be optimistic… for Celia...”</p><p>Celia nodded. "I couldn't handle losing you, sis..." she wept. "I–"</p><p>"Is this a bad time?" the waiter asked. He'd come back with three plates of food just to discover a table of crying people.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. The final hours</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Celia woke up early the next morning, as she always did. As Sarah slept next to her — the reduction in her work responsibilities let her get much more sleep than usual — Celia quietly crept down from the upper floor of the barn and walked outside. She felt the need to relieve herself but recalled being told the previous night that she was not welcome inside. Sighing, she walked around the other side of the barn and looked for a leaf she could use to wipe herself with when done.</p><p>Jason was up earlier than usual. Throughout the night Marie’s parents seemed to argue about the trial, specifically over whether they wanted to keep the skunk or not once it was concluded.</p><p>Waking up with little sleep made him feel wide awake, so he decided to go outside and see if Celia or Sarah was awake yet. He was still in his sleeping clothes, putting on slippers that he had brought with him in the suitcase.</p><p>Celia ventured a short distance into the surrounding woods behind the painted red barn before crouching down and lifting her skirt up. She pushed the front of her panties to the side before starting to pee. Typically one would pull down their skirt to urinate, but given that Celia was taking the risk of doing so outside, she figured it would be smart to just lift up her skirt slightly.</p><p>Jason wandered into the barn to look for the two, but not knowing there was a second floor to it he gave up after a short search of the first. Hearing a soft pattering of liquid on the ground outside, Jason went around the barn to see what it was. There he saw Celia in her maid outfit, peeing in plain sight. “Celia?”</p><p>In a panic, Celia quickly lowered her skirt again, which to her dismay led to her peeing against the inside of it a little and pissing on her own leg a lot. "M-Master!" Celia exclaimed. "I'm so sorry, Master! I have no access to the indoor toilet, so I... I'm so, so sorry, Master!"</p><p>“I-it’s fine Celia! I’m sorry!” Jason said quickly before turning away, his face beet red.</p><p>"My sincerest apologies, Master Jason," Celia said, bowing profusely. "I should have headed deeper into the woods. It was my mistake."</p><p>“Celia, it’s okay… But going further into the woods would’ve been for the best...”</p><p>She nodded. "I am so sorry, Master. I won't let it happen again."</p><p>“Okay… If they caught you that’d be terrible...” Jason chuckled lightly. "They might even think you're ‘spraying’."</p><p>"Oh my gods, Master..." Celia said, laughing a bit too.</p><p>Jason smiled, happy to have broken such an awkward mood.</p><p>"Um... Master? Any chance I can head into the woods and finish my business?" She lightly danced up and down, evidently still needing to pee.</p><p>“Y-yeah go! I’ll keep lookout.” Jason waved her off.</p><p>"Thank you, Master Jason," she said, trotting off into the woods.</p><p>“Mhm.” Jason kept an eye on her as she went into the forest, looking around again to make sure no one was there.</p><p>A couple minutes later, Celia returned to Jason. "Thank you, Master. I owe you greatly."</p><p>“You don’t owe me a thing.” Jason smiled at her once she returned.</p><p>"Have you had breakfast yet?"</p><p>“No not yet, no one else is up.”</p><p>"Would you like to head into town and get something? Sarah's still asleep, but she'll be leaving here soon because she has to get to the courthouse more than an hour before we do."</p><p>“Okay, can we get a breakfast where you actually eat this time around?” Jason asked, smiling over at Celia.</p><p>She chuckled. "Very well, Master. I suppose it would be a bad idea to testify on an empty stomach, anyway."</p><p>“Loud grumbling in the middle of honest testimony," Jason chuckled and started off towards town</p><p>She laughed with him. "Precisely." They walked into town, where Celia was relieved to not have heads turn and noses wrinkle in her direction.</p><p>Jason smiled as they made their way into town. A handful of restaurants looked to be open for an early riser's breakfast.</p><p>"Which of these places do you estimate is the cheapest, Master?"</p><p>“Likely whichever one is least busy.”</p><p>"Makes sense," she said. "So... that one?" She motioned to a restaurant a few storefronts down, the very same one they'd eaten at the previous night.</p><p>Jason nodded and led the way to the restaurant. Once they got to the front, Jason opened the door for Celia.</p><p>Celia let Jason lead her inside, where they were sat down and handed menus. Shortly after being left alone to decide what they'd like, however, Celia laid her head in her hands, apparently stressed about something.</p><p>“Are you okay?” Jason asked, concerned.</p><p>"I just... can't get this awful dream I had last night out of my head... I'm sorry, Master Jason. I'm not supposed to let internal conflict like this show itself to you."</p><p>“It’s fine. We’ve gone through so much, I don’t mind talking to you about it.” He smiled at her, setting the menu down to give her his full attention.</p><p>She sighed and looked up at him. "Are you sure? It's... a little graphic."</p><p>“I’d like to know...”</p><p>"Well, it was about my sister. It was in a future where she'd lost the trial, and she was undergoing that operation to have her musk glands removed..."</p><p>“Is, um… Is that all?”</p><p>"Well, no... I was holding her hand, in the dream, as the doctor sliced into her... y'know, that place where the glands are located. She yelped as the first cut was made, then squeezed my paw as the pain was too intense for her to bear on her own. A horrible smell filled the room, and then she looked up at me with tear-filled eyes... Master, looking into her eyes... It was like she was telling me that she was going to die... I know it was just a dream, but it was so awful... looking at my little sister as she just accepted she was doomed..."</p><p>“Celia, it won’t be like that. Don’t think anymore about it. Please...” Jason said, very clearly concerned for her.</p><p>She looked up at him. It was very obvious now that she was crying. "How are you so sure, Master Jason?"</p><p>“Well if you just keep thinking of the worst, then that’s all that will happen. Just give it your best and have hope… That’s all we can really do.”</p><p>"Yes, I suppose... Thank you, Master," Celia said, wiping her tears away and returning her attention to the menu.</p><p>Jason gave a short nod before picking his menu up. After a few minutes of reading, he decided on eggs, a few strips of bacon, and a small bowl of fruit.</p><p>Celia requested just a couple eggs and some potatoes before handing their menus back to the waiter.</p><p>“When is the trial?” Jason asked her, taking a sip of his glass of water.</p><p>"Eleven," she answered. "So we should have plenty of time to eat breakfast, walk there, and get all set up."</p><p>“I need to get into the suit I brought," he said with a soft huff.</p><p>She nodded back to Jason. "And I'll need to change into my dress."</p><p>“We’ll have time for all that?” Jason asked, just wanting to be certain.</p><p>"Definitely," she replied. "It's only eight now, and the courthouse is just down the street."</p><p>Jason nodded with a little smile.</p><p>A short while later, the waiter came back with their food.</p><p>“Thank you,” Jason said quietly then began to eat, putting the bowl of fruit between the two of them, letting Celia take some of she’d like.</p><p>Celia, of course, refrained from eating any of Jason's fruit as they finished their main meals.</p><p>Jason kept eating his eggs and bacon, only occasionally having some of the fruit.</p><p>“You can have some.” Jason said to her, calmly nibbling on a strip of bacon.</p><p>She, equally as calmly as Jason, refused to eat any. "I'm full, Master Jason."</p><p>“Mm alright.” Jason finished the bacon and started to work on the fruit, but first put a lone grape on her plate.</p><p>She smiled at him a little, then took the grape in her thumb and pointer finger claws to eat it.</p><p>He smiled back at her, leaving the bowl in the middle.</p><p>She stopped herself from eating any more after that one grape, opting instead to simply look around the room at different things.</p><p>Jason sighed and finished off the fruit.</p><p>"Are we ready to go back to Sarah's manor now, Master?"</p><p>Jason nodded and stood, walking to the door and waiting for Celia to join him after paying.</p><p>Celia paid for their food, now dangerously low on cash, then turned back to Jason with a forced smile as she tried to ignore how little money she had. "Ready to get going, Master?"</p><p>“Mhm.” Jason hummed and led the way out of the restaurant and back towards the manor.</p><p>Celia followed her human master out of the restaurant and down the road to Sarah's house.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. The trial</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Jason, having changed into a pristine, classy black suit, and Celia, having changed into an elegant white dress, made their way to the courthouse. It was a large, marble building, its walls decorated with huge paintings. Sarah was already sat at the defendant stand, waiting for the trial to start. The room was filled with the families of the prosecution, Celia being the only family member of the skunk. “Where do we sit?” Jason whispered quietly.</p><p>"I suppose behind Sarah," Celia whispered back to Jason. As they drew a little nearer, they could tell that the entire first line of benches behind her was clear. "That is, if you're ok with the smell, Master," she added.</p><p>Jason nodded, but it was clear he was a little hesitant. He’d been around her a few times in the last day though, so he was pretty sure he was growing accustomed to it.</p><p>Celia led the way to sit behind her sister. Mercifully, the smell was a little weaker than it had been the previous day. "Hey, Sarah," Celia whispered.</p><p>The skunk's sister turned around and formed a smile at the sight of Celia and Jason. "I'm glad you two could make it," she whispered to them.</p><p>Jason nodded some to Sarah, looking around and getting a few bad looks from the family Sarah served, especially from Marie.</p><p>"So when's your lawyer getting here?" Celia whispered.</p><p>"I don't have one."</p><p>"You what?!"</p><p>“Celia keep it down… I think the judge is coming out...” Jason mumbled softly as a large man with a crisp, red beard walked through a door toward the back of the courtroom and made his way to the stand.</p><p>"I couldn't afford one."</p><p>"I'm you're lawyer then!" Celia said recklessly before rushing around the short wall separating defendant from spectator and sat down next to her. The judge for a moment seemed alarmed at the sight of a skunk suddenly hurrying in his direction, but was relieved when she stopped short of him and sat down.</p><p>“Celia!” Jason said quickly before a small gavel hit the wooden plate to silence the light chatter around the room.</p><p>"Order, order," the judge spoke. "Where is the prosec–" Just then, Sarah's accuser and his lawyer walked into the room, carrying an awful stench with them. Celia shot them a dirty look while her sister kept her cool.</p><p>Jason grunted softly as they came by, having to try his best not to cough out of politeness for the court.</p><p>Despite Jason's attempts at politeness, other observers didn't even attempt to hide their coughs and waves of their hands in front of their noses. The judge slammed his gavel a couple more times, "Order, order. Does the prosecution have a reason for being tardy?"</p><p>"Yes, your honor," Sarah's accuser said. "Just some last-minute attempts to clean me up before joining you in your fine courthouse. As you can see—" he motioned to the people whose senses of smell he'd just offended, "—that was unsuccessful." He then shot a glare at Sarah.</p><p>The judge gave a firm shake of his head. “That is no excuse. You were given an exact time," he huffs out, looking over his papers one last time and preparing to begin the trial. “Now I want to meet with each party's attorneys.”</p><p>Celia remained seated for a moment before it hit her that this would include her. While the prosecutor's attorney was already halfway to the judge, Sarah nudged her sister, who then jumped out of her seat and hurried over to the judge.</p><p>The judge raised an eyebrow at the other skunk in the courtroom and now approaching where he sat. “And who might you be?” he asked, keeping his voice down so just the two 'lawyers' could hear him speak.</p><p>"I'm the defendant's representative... and sister. Celia Reynolds of the Gladstone Manor, your honor." She extended the paw for him to hopefully shake.</p><p>“I see...” He reaches down, giving her paw a light shake. "Gladstone, eh? I recognize the name. Wealthy man." He gave her a kind smile. It was clear this judge didn’t hold much of a grudge against other species, very much by the book and here to do his job, enforcing the law, deciding cases and distributing punishments in a just and proper way.</p><p>Celia didn't know why the judge had wanted to meet, so she just waited for the prosecutor or the judge to hopefully say something first.</p><p>“Now, is there anything I should know about before we begin the trial?” he asked the two of them, clearly expecting a response.</p><p>Celia sniffed the air and wrinkled her nose. "Well, I can say with confidence that's not the smell of skunk musk on that kid," she said. "I mean, it is, but that's not most of it. He stinks primarily of, in my estimation, manure. If you were to smell the scent lingering on Sar– er, my client, you'd notice a smell quite distinct from what the prosecution brought into the courtroom."</p><p>The judge raised an eyebrow, looking past the two people in front of him and at the boy, a slight dirtiness to him. “That’s disgusting. You best keep that boy seated," the judge told the human lawyer that stood in front of him.</p><p>"Your honor," Celia said, "may I propose the theory that the prosecution intentionally rolled the boy in manure or something similar to worsen the smell he would bring into the courtroom? And if this is true, I request that the odor present not be factored into your final decision."</p><p>“Yes, I will take that into account. Now go back to your tables.” He gave them both a light wave, writing down notes on the boy's current smell.</p><p>Celia bowed and the prosecuting attorney nodded before walking back to their respective tables, the other lawyer apparently bitter that Celia had seen through his ruse.</p><p>The judge slammed his gavel once again. "Right, then..." he said. "We will begin with opening statements. Prosecution, of course, will go first."</p><p>The prosecutor slowly stands up, obviously a little flustered from having his plan found out. “I- uh... Your honor, I call Sarah Reynolds of the Jackson Manor to the stand.”</p><p>"Gods, man!" the judge exclaimed. "Have you forgotten all of your law training? You cannot call a witness to the stand in your opening statement!"</p><p>Celia was glad to have had this happen, because she didn't know that either.</p><p>"R-right, your honor..." the lawyer said. "My apologies, the fumes must be getting to my head. I will make my opening statement now." He walked to the floor space between the tables and the judge. Following the conventions of the time, a jury hadn't been assembled for this trial, so it would be up to the judge alone how it would be decided — unless, of course, the eventual ruling was appealed.</p><p>"Your honor," the lawyer began, "on the evening of December the sixteenth, my client was visiting the Jackson Manor to spend time with his romantic partner, Marie Jackson. As sometimes happens between kids of this age, the two got into a small argument, the subject of which is unimportant to this trial. As they raised their voices slightly, the housemaid, Sarah Reynolds of the Jackson Manor, entered the room of Marie Jackson without permission. She proceeded to ask them to keep it down, to which my client responded by attempting to shut the door, which of course would limit how much of their argument could be heard outside the bedroom, per Miss Reynolds's request. Unfortunately, he miscalculated the position of the skunk maid, and he ended up closing the door on her body, this resulting in the slight bruising than can be found on her chest.</p><p>"She then stumbled back and, without giving him warning, lifted her tail, and performed the unspeakable deed, dooming this poor boy to the worst several weeks of his life. I also have reason to believe she had been aiming her stream at the boy's eyes, as the majority of her musk appears to have been concentrated on his upper chest. Appropriately, he cried out in agony before scrambling, now all but blinded, toward Marie's bathroom to wash himself off in the wash basin. There, he would proceed to vomit not once, but twice thanks to the nauseating stench. As the odor dispersed throughout the rest of the house, Mr. and Mrs. Jackson took notice and ordered my client home and Sarah outside.</p><p>"Your honor, I am requesting that you do the right thing today. We are hopeful you will conclude that this skunk's use of her musk was unjustified, and that the appropriate legal measures are taken to ensure that she never does such an awful thing to anybody ever again. This concludes my opening statement." With this, the lawyer sat back down at his table and high-fived Devon under the table.</p><p>“Very well. Now, I’d like the defendant's opening statement.” He nodded towards Celia, waiting for her.</p><p>Celia patted the table a couple times before standing up, unsure how she could compare to that impressive opening statement. "Your honor," she began. "I will argue that almost the entire story you just heard from the prosecution is contrary to the truth. I will tell you what really happened the night of December sixteenth. According to my client's retelling of events, Mr. Lancaster had, in fact, been physically assaulting Miss Marie Jackson when my client entered the room. She had originally come to request they keep their voices down for the sake of Mr. and Mrs. Jackson, owners of the manor, who were at the time sleeping. Once she entered the sleeping quarters of Miss Marie Jackson, however, she discovered the assault. This was when Sarah Reynolds dutifully ordered the perpetrator away from her mistress. She could also see now that Marie Jackson's face had been bruised.</p><p>"She raised her tail in warning to the offender, but he evidently was not aware of what skunks are capable of doing once that tail is raised. Mr. Lancaster's lack of knowledge could not possibly have been Sarah's fault. He got off of Miss Jackson and approached Miss Reynolds. This, I argue, would have been reason enough for Reynolds to defend herself with her signature ability, but she held back nonetheless. Only after being shoved and falling onto her back — not nudged by the door, as the prosecution claimed —, did she finally make the ultimate decision to incapacitate the attacker in the most effective way she knew how. And that is the reality of what happened on the night of December sixteenth. This concludes the defense's opening statement." Celia bowed before taking her seat again.</p><p>“Very well… Now the prosecution has the floor. Call any witnesses to the stand as you please," the judge said, jotting down the differences in the two stories.</p><p>The prosecutor stood up. "I call to the stand Marie Jackson, your honor," he said. Marie, who had been sitting toward the back of the courtroom, stood up and made her way to the stand, sitting down next to the judge.</p><p>The smell of the spray was still evident on Marie but by this point it was more like she was just wearing a foul-smelling perfume, making the judge's nose twitch just a bit.</p><p>The prosecutor stood up and approached the bench. "Miss Jackson," he said, "what took place on the night of December the sixteenth?"</p><p>"Exactly what you said," she replied quickly.</p><p>"Exactly? You agree fully with the chain of events I retold just a few moments ago?"</p><p>"Yessir."</p><p>"No further questions, your honor." The lawyer then sat down back at his table.</p><p>"Would the defendant like to perform a cross-examination of the witness?"</p><p>"Yes, your honor." Celia stood up and approached Marie. "Miss Jackson, if it is to be believed that your boyfriend Devon Lancaster had not been assaulting you that night, why would your close friends and family members have given sworn statements to the court stating that they'd seen you with bruises on your face the days after the event?"</p><p>The young woman looked flustered as Celia brought up her family and friends mentioning that. “W-well I just fell down the stairs is all," she said after no other thought came to her head.</p><p>"Your honor," Celia said, "am I correct in my presumption that you have copies of these sworn statements?"</p><p>“That I do...” the judge mumbled, pulling out files from various witnesses and looking them over, letting Celia take them if she pleased.</p><p>"Will you please read to me how Miss Jackson's loved ones described those marks?"</p><p>"Um... 'At least two contusions on her face, vaguely circular in shape'."</p><p>"Thank you. Marie, how do you receive circular marks on your face from simply falling down the stairs?"</p><p>Marie stayed silent, clearly not wanting to admit that she lied. “Well if she won’t say anything and you have nothing else for her, call your next witness to the stand," the judge said to Celia, letting out a low sigh. This whole trial was already getting on the man's nerves.</p><p>Celia panicked a little and froze up. I don't have another witness, she thought. She stood in place for a moment, eyes wide, saying nothing.</p><p>All she could think about was how she'd just killed her sister. Having nothing more to say, she must've looked incredibly guilty. She couldn't think, she couldn't think, she couldn't think!</p><p>“Miss Reynolds, if you have nothing then retire the witness and go back to your seat.” His voice was firm.</p><p>"I- I..." She felt like she could start crying, and she saw a smile emerge from Marie's face as the human girl watched Celia struggle.</p>
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<a name="section0011"><h2>11. The conclusion</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"I call Devon Lancaster to the stand," Celia finally declared.</p><p>The judge motioned Marie to leave, Devon walking past her, giving her a glare as the two walked by. He took a seat next to the judge, who immediately recoiled. “You smell like fertilizer, not skunk.”</p><p>"How can you be so sure that skunk doesn't smell like fertilizer?" he retorted.</p><p>“I’ve smelled skunk, boy. Don’t you dare speak to me with that tone.” The man hissed at him.</p><p>Devon immediately appeared intimidated, but continued, "I've been told different skunks can produce slightly different scents. How can we be sure that Sarah's doesn't smell like fertilizer?"</p><p>“Because your little girlfriend didn’t smell like a cow's ass when she sat next to me. Now shut your disrespectful mouth!”</p><p>"S-sorry..." the boy murmured.</p><p>"May I begin my questioning now, your honor?" Celia asked the judge.</p><p>“You may," the judge said, sitting back in his seat.</p><p>"Mr. Lancaster," Celia began, "you say you had tried to shut the door on Sarah, correct?"</p><p>“Yes I did," Devon said with a firm nod.</p><p>"And how did she spray you if you'd just closed the door?"</p><p>“She opened the door back up.”</p><p>"So, you closed the door on her, and she then opened it up again, and that's when she blasted you?"</p><p>“Yes, that’s what happened.”</p><p>Celia nodded. "Well, it is common knowledge among skunks that it is best to aim for the face of the attacker. This is because that is where the nose and eyes are located, and hitting those areas with the musk will almost certainly incapacitate someone. Now, where on your body was Sarah's spray most focused?"</p><p>“My face and my eyes," he said. The boy was so dumb that he was digging a hole for himself and didn't even notice.</p><p>Celia paused. "But in his opening statement, your lawyer stated that your chest took most of it."</p><p>“Then the lawyer misspoke.”</p><p>She tilted her head. "Your honor, permission to sniff the defendant and locate the source of the odor?"</p><p>The judge raised an eyebrow but then nodded. “Go ahead.”</p><p>Celia leaned over the stand and began by sniffing his face. The boy was visibly disturbed by the skunk's snout getting so close to him but didn't raise any objection. His face definitely smelled unpleasant, but when she next tried to smell his chest, she recoiled back away from the stand, coughing heavily.</p><p>“I’m guessing we found where the spray landed?” The judge asked Celia, watching as the woman practically hacked up a lung.</p><p>Celia nodded, still coughing into her fist. "Would you like to smell him yourself just to confirm, your honor?"</p><p>“I believe I trust your findings.”</p><p>Celia nodded. "So, Mr. Lancaster, would you like to revise your statement about being sprayed in the face?"</p><p>“I suppose I was sprayed in the chest...”</p><p>"The range of a skunk's spray glands is enough that, if both of you were standing up, she should easily be able to hit someone of your height in the face. The range is something well-documented in the medical literature, but if anybody needs that claim verified for them, I'd be happy to do so," she added with a little smirk. "All skunks aim for the face, so if Sarah was standing up, as you say, why were you only hit in the chest?"</p><p>He didn’t have anything to say, his story not adding up at all. That, along with all the little details, made him fear he had no chance of winning.</p><p>"Objection, your honor," the kid's lawyer called from a little further back in the room. "It's possible that Sarah Reynolds simply missed her target."</p><p>Celia confidently shook her head. "Skunks have deadly accuracy. We can accurately hit a target from up to fifteen feet away, and Devon Lancaster was no more than five feet away at this time."</p><p>"Overruled," the judge replied to the prosecution's objection. "Mr. Lancaster, do you have anything else you'd like to add?"</p><p>Celia took his silence as an admission of guilt. "What makes sense, at least to me, is that the only reason her spray would make contact with an area so much lower than her target is if she was lying on the ground after being shoved, and she was just trying to hit as close to the face as she could while lying on her back."</p><p>The judge nods, writing down to confirm he was sprayed on the chest and that she was definitely shoved to the floor just outside the room.</p><p>"And if she was indeed shoved to the ground," Celia continued, "that is more than enough justification for her to have sprayed. Because not only would she have been defending the safety of another person — Marie Jackson, who was being assaulted — but she was also defending herself. She did not discharge her spray in malice, but simply in self-defense."</p><p>“Very well. If you have nothing else for him...” The judge nods and gives a short wave.</p><p>"No further questions, your honor." Celia turned around and walked back over to sit down with Sarah.</p><p>“Go back to your seat," he tells the boy next to him.</p><p>Celia turned around to Jason and raised her eyebrows, as if asking him, 'How'd I do?'.</p><p>He gave her a quick thumbs up, smiling at her. Sarah clearly calmed down a tad but her foot continued to bounce under the table.</p><p>"Does the prosecution have any more witnesses to call to the stand?"</p><p>“N-no your honor," the prosecuting attorney said, the family behind him clearly getting upset at how he'd practically given up.</p><p>"Does the defense have any more witnesses to call to the stand?"</p><p>"No, your honor."</p><p>“Well I believe I’ve reached a verdict,” the judge announced.</p>
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<a name="section0012"><h2>12. The verdict</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>”The defendant, Sarah Reynolds of the Jackson Manor, is found innocent of unlawful discharge of musk and will face no further punishment. The prosecution will pay Miss Reynolds 200 pounds for compensation as well as the normal court fees. Dismissed.” The judge smacked the gavel.</p><p>Celia and Sarah immediately stood up and hugged each other tight, both the girls crying into each other's shoulders out of happiness. Meanwhile, the Devon kid was arguing quite angrily with his lawyer.</p><p>Jason sat back, smiling warmly as the two sisters hugged each other in relief. He looked around at the rest of the people in the room. The judge signed a few papers before leaving and retiring to a back room.</p><p>Celia eventually pulled away from Sarah. "We have to go out and celebrate."</p><p>Sarah nodded vigorously back. "Oh, but first..." She walked toward the back of the courtroom eyes still a little red from crying out of relief, found Marie's family, and loudly declared to them, "I fuckin' quit," before walking back to Celia.</p><p>Jason watched and laughed as Sarah came back over. Her family looked shocked and Marie was pouting now that she didn’t have someone to service her every little need.</p><p>Sarah was at first proud as she came back over, but then started looking a little nervous. "Wait, where am I going to work now?" she asked Celia and Jason, as if they were supposed to have some explanation.</p><p>Jason stood there, a small red blush coming across his face as he wondered for a moment. “Um… We can see if my father will want another maid?”</p><p>Celia shook her head. "Master Gladstone has no interest in hiring another maid, I've talked to him about this before. He actually said he barely even needs me, since it's just you and him living at the manor."</p><p>“Well I guess we’ll go over that when we get to it. We can’t just leave Sarah, not alone in this town,” Jason said quickly.</p><p>It was hard to tell from Celia’s perspective if Jason was just being sympathetic or if he maybe had a little crush on the other skunk. It wouldn’t be a stretch considering the two are about the same age.</p><p>Sarah flashed the kindest smile at Jason. "Thank you, Ja– Master Jason." She bowed.</p><p>Celia felt like she was starting to really pick up on something between the two but she didn't dare disrespect her master in any way by verbally acknowledging it. "Master, perhaps we should take her with us back to our manor and look for work on the way there?"</p><p>“I suppose... Maybe we can find somewhere close to the manor so that you two can see each other easier?” he suggested as he led the way out of the courtroom.</p><p>Sarah and Celia followed. "I don't see why you want her so closeby, Master. If she finds work anywhere other than here, she should take it, no matter the distance between us."</p><p>“Well it’s not really for me, Celia. I figured you’d want to be closer to your sister," Jason said innocently</p><p>"Master, I've lived far from her for years, I can continue living this way."</p><p>“You don’t think you’d like it? Or maybe that she would want to live closer to her sister too?” Jason added, opening the door for the other two.</p><p>Celia cursed herself for letting her emotions distract her and letting Jason open the door for her, as opposed to the other way around. "Master, of course I'd like it, but I think she will have to take work anywhere she ca—!"</p><p>"Doesn't anyone care what I think?!" Sarah loudly interrupted, pausing their descent down the courtroom steps</p><p>Jason looked shocked but tried to keep his composure, letting the door close behind them. He looked over at Sarah nervously.</p><p>The younger skunk shut her eyes hard. "I'm sorry, but... Celia, I really want to live near you again. I missed my sister, and I missed not being the only skunk for miles. Jason, do you know of any neighbors of yours who are looking for a maid?"</p><p>“I don't know of any, but I’m sure Celia could ask. Or maybe I can, that’ll probably be easier,” Jason mumbled, nervously twiddling with his fingers, clearly flustered by the way she yelled.</p><p>"Then," Sarah said, "after we collect my damages from the court tomorrow morning, I'd like to join you two back to the Gladstone Manor, if you'll allow me."</p><p>Celia just looked to Jason to let him alone decide.</p><p>Jason gave a short nod. “It’ll be a little cramped, but we can make room for you.” Jason smiled softly toward the younger skunk.</p><p>Celia wasn't sure she liked the way her master was looking at her younger sister. "I'll be sitting in the middle," she declared. "If that's ok with you, of course, Master."</p><p>“Yeah, that’s fine,” Jason said nonchalantly with a nod, walking down the steps and towards their carriage they rode here on.</p><p>"Until then," Sarah said, "why don't we go get something to eat, then go get some drinks? On me, of course, thanks to my winnings."</p><p>“Sure,” Jason said as he sat up in the carriage, taking the reins and waiting for the two skunks to join him onboard.</p><p>The three of them would go on to move Sarah's few belongings out of her former employer's manor and bring them to a nearby inn where they’d spend the night. Afterward, they would go out and eat before drinking, one of them quite a bit more than the others.</p>
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<a name="section0013"><h2>13. The drunk skunk</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Later that same night, the small party finally got back to their room they’d rented at the local inn. Jason, not having had too much to drink, didn’t feel any effects from the alcohol. Celia came through with a light buzz. Sarah, however, left the tavern absolutely trashed, barely able to stand on her own two feet as they walked back. Wanting to conserve as much money as possible — though apparently not doing the same when it came to their alcohol spending — the trio opted to share a small room with just one bed that was barely big enough for two people, let alone three.</p><p>Celia felt like she had to play the mother hen for her drunk younger sister. "Sarah, if you hadn't spent all that money on booze, you probably could've bought your own room for the night," she chastised the other skunk as she unlocked the door to their room.</p><p>"Yeah, but oh well!" Sarah slurred her words, evidently not caring at all.</p><p>"Not 'oh well'! I'm going to have to sleep on the floor because of you!" Door unlocked, she led the other two inside before locking it again behind them.</p><p>"I told you I can–"</p><p>"No, no," Celia insisted. "I don't want to ride home tomorrow with a sister that's both hungover and badly sore."</p><p>"Mmmm fine… Guess that leaves you and me in the bed, hey Jason?"</p><p>“Yeah...” Jason mumbled softly, he was lying with his back against the mattress as the two skunks bickered back and forth. Rolling over to his side, he could see Celia grumpily setting up a blanket and pillow on the floor beside the bed.</p><p>Sarah dropped herself ungracefully onto the bed beside Jason, whose back was now turned to her. She shook the whole bed as she landed on it. "Thank you for coming to my trial, Celia and Jason... And thank you Celia for putting on your lawyer pants and digging me out of that hole."</p><p>"You've already thanked me several times tonight, Sarah. You just can't remember."</p><p>Jason sighed as the drunken skunk made the bed shake. He looked down at Celia, upset to see her so irritated but he couldn’t do much to help at this point, knowing she’d refuse to let him take her spot on the floor.</p><p>Everything needed for sleep finally in place, Celia extinguished the one lamp in the room, making the whole thing dark. "Night night, drunkards," she said teasingly before lying down on the floor.</p><p>“Goodnight…" the human mumbled as the room was plunged into darkness. Rolling over onto his back and closing his eyes, he tried his best to get some sleep.</p><p>As she worked to fall asleep, Sarah scooted a little closer to Jason, resting her head on his shoulder.</p><p>“Um...” Jason mumbled, looking over towards where her head was resting. A soft red blush crept across the young man's face.</p><p>Sarah didn't say anything, her eyes already shut. She just kept her head there, breathing softly as she appeared to be drifting off to sleep. She reeked of alcohol, as well as her slight, residual musk scent.</p><p>Jason whined softly, looking away from her to try and ignore the smell. Being around the skunk with her light musk looming over him the whole time seemed to have raised his tolerance for it.</p><p>Sarah then threw an arm over Jason's chest, pulling him into her for tight hug.</p><p>Jason groaned, but after a few moments came to enjoy the little heat coming off Sarah's warm fur. He scooted a little closer to her after a few seconds.</p><p>The semi-unconscious skunk seemed glad Jason was accepting of her advances to the point where he was even reciprocating, so she took it a step further. The hand that had been around his torso began drifting a little further down his midriff.</p><p>Jason didn’t take much notice of this, nor did he think twice about the skunk's actions, assuming it was all just being done in her sleep.</p><p>When the fur-covered hand began fumbling with Jason's waistband, however, he would have to acknowledge that this was no innocent action.</p><p>Jason stayed silent, still doing nothing about her reaching down. In the back of his mind he was just putting the pieces together that she was assuming Celia’s normal duties.</p><p>Sarah then opened her eyes, sat up, and after making sure her older sister was sound asleep, threw one leg over his torso so that she was now straddling him.</p><p>Jason’s eyes were shut before she began to move, but once she did they shot open, his cheeks blushing a deep red as he looked up at the drunk skunk. “W-what are you doing?”</p><p>She laid a finger on Jason's lips as if warning him to be quiet. She then leaned in to Jason's ear. "I saw how you looked at me back at the tavern... I think you and I both want this~" Even from over by his ear, Jason would be able to smell the alcohol coming off her breath.</p><p>He coughed lightly and gently pushed on her hips. “I don’t know what you’re talking about...” his voice got a little louder. He was indeed occasionally looking at her in the tavern, but it was mainly just in awe of how much she’d been drinking.</p><p>"What, you don't think I'm pretty?" the drunk skunk asked. "I know you're fine being romantic with furreds. I've seen how you act towards my sister. I must say, it's very brave of you not to care what everyone else would say~"</p><p>“I didn’t say you weren’t pretty. I don’t… What?" Jason just gave a shocked expression up at the woman. Having been mostly distracted with her odd behavior, Jason had no clue that his dick was slowly growing erect underneath the skunk as she straddled his hips.</p><p>"Oh come on!" she purred before leaning in to his ear again. "I’m not the most perceptive, but even I see something in the way you look at her."</p><p>“S-she’s just my friend...” Jason grumbled, shuddering against the mattress as she leaned in close to him.</p><p>"Bullshit!" she shouted loud enough to send Celia on the floor sitting straight up.</p><p>"Sarah!" the skunk hissed. "What are you doing?!"</p><p>"Giving Jason a goodnight kiss~!" Still leaned in close, she began planting kiss after kiss on Jason's cheek, whiskers tickling up against his skin.</p><p>Jason stayed silent, the blush on his face becoming hotter as Sarah kissed his cheek. His erection was pressing up against Sarah now.</p><p>Celia stood up and began swatting her younger sister off of Jason. "Now leave my master alone before we need another trial for unlawful spraying!"</p><p>Sarah grumbled as she settled back into her previous place in bed. "Yes, ma'am..."</p><p>Jason leaned back into the pillow as Celia got Sarah off of him, though even in the darkness the tent being made in the bed sheets was clear.</p><p>Celia glanced down at the rather obvious erection on Jason. "Master," she said, "do you need anything before you go back to sleep? Any services, perhaps?"</p><p>Jason gently shook his head, rather flustered and just wanting to ignore his urges at the moment so he could sleep.</p><p>Celia bowed. "Very well, Master Jason. Sleep well, and do wake me if Sarah causes any further problems." She looked over to her drunk sister, who seemed to have completely passed out the moment after she got off Jason.</p><p>He nodded, rolling to face away from the drunkard and pulling the sheets further up to his face. Shutting his eyes tightly, he tried to get some sleep.</p><p>Celia lied back down and, after a few minutes of forcing herself to stay awake so she could listen for more assaults from Sarah, she too fell asleep.</p><p>Falling asleep not too long after the others, Jason slept quietly, occasionally rolling from one side to the other.</p>
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<a name="section0014"><h2>14. The morning after</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The next day, Jason would wake up with a skunk's white hair strewn across his face. It appeared that during the night Sarah had rolled over to be closer to Jason, and at some point in the process her hair landed on his face. She was now lying face-up right next to him and snoring rather loudly.</p><p>Celia got up early that morning, just as she did any other morning. She noticed her sister well invading Jason's personal space as the two slept. Figuring there was no way to move her without waking his master too, she decided to leave them where they were as she went to the bathroom before fetching breakfast.</p><p>As Jason woke up he took a deep breath, strands of Sarah’s hair shooting down his throat and making the human cough it up. Miraculously she hadn’t woken up from his labored coughs. </p><p>Getting up with a heavy huff, he walked over to a small bucket of clean water that they used for drinking. He dipped a glass in it and took a few sips of water. Seeing that Celia wasn’t on the floor, he wondered where she had gone off to.</p><p>Celia walked back in a few minutes later. "Master Jason, you're up!" she said gently, not knowing yet if her sister was awake too. "Did you sleep well? I hope you don't feel ill from the drinking last night."</p><p>He shook his head. “I feel fine. Sarah was a little much though… I wish you'd slept in the bed with me.”</p><p>She looked at him apologetically. "Master, I am so sorry," she bowed. "I didn't think Sarah would be so intolerable. I'll definitely have a word with her when she's awake."</p><p>“Well she was intoxicated, so she couldn’t really help it. You don’t need to say anything, I’m sure the after effects of the drinks will be enough,” Jason said with a soft chuckle.</p><p>She smiled at him, but shook her head. "No. My sister must know it is unacceptable to act inappropriately around my master. I will be sure–"</p><p>"Can't you two keep it down over there?!" Sarah groaned from the bed before shoving her head under some pillows, presumably to block out the sound and light of the room.</p><p>“Well I think she gets it," Jason said in a quieter way so as to not disturb Sarah as she tried to sleep in. “When will we be leaving?”</p><p>"I was actually going to ask you," Celia said. "If we leave soon, we can ride all through the day and make it back to the manor just a couple hours after sundown. If we wait, however, we'll have to split the trip into two days." She set her tray of food down on the only table in the room. "I'll let you decide, Master Jason."</p><p>“Well… I’d rather get back sooner than later. Let’s leave shortly. Want to go get the carriage and I’ll make sure Sarah gets up?”</p><p>Celia bowed. "As you wish, Master." She then turned to leave.</p><p>A few seconds after the door shut behind Celia, Sarah said, "Is the bitch extraordinaire gone?"</p><p>“Um… Yes, Celia is gone,” Jason mumbled, clearly a little upset Sarah talked about Celia that way. He walked over to a chair near the bed to take a seat.</p><p>Sarah pulled the pillow off her head. "Good. I can't remember most of last night, but I do recall the vague idea of Celia telling me to slow down, or stop, or something. Probably in regards to my drinking."</p><p>“No… you straddled my lap… and rubbed my um… crotch,” Jason said, still flustered by the events.</p><p>Sarah gasped. Even in her hungover and still slightly inebriated state, she knew she wasn't supposed to do that. Crossing the species boundary, while not strictly illegal, was a massive taboo, and she couldn't believe she'd done it. "Ja- Master Jason, I am so sorry." She stood up out of bed in spite of her pounding headache just so she could bow profusely. "Please accept my apology. I didn't know what I was doing, although that is no excuse. I am so sorry, Master Jason."</p><p>“It’s ok, you were drunk. Nothing happened. I accept your apology,” Jason said quickly to calm the woman down. While seeing her panic like that was upsetting to her, at least she was out of bed now.</p><p>"Thank you, Master Jason. And please, don't tell Celia about any of this. If she knew, she'd probably leave me behind right here in town!"</p><p>“Well, I mean, she’s the one who told you to stop… I think she realizes you were drunk and not thinking straight, so you don’t need to worry about it.” He shrugged</p><p>"She saw that I was..." she paused for a moment to choose her words. "Did she specifically see that I was trying to breed with you?"</p><p>“No, she just saw that you were trying to kiss me. She also saw that I was erect when you got off but I don’t think she thought you meant to do that to me.”</p><p>Sarah exhaled a sigh of relief. "Thank the gods... Master Jason, I need you to promise me this will just be our secret, ok?"</p><p>“I won’t tell her or anyone, I swear by the gods." He spoke with a small smile.</p><p>She smiled back at him before holding out her arm with a single digit extended. "Pinky promise?"</p><p>He laughed softly and did the same, wrapping his pinky around hers and giving a quick shake. “Promise.”</p><p>"Thank you, Jason... We should grab our things and meet Celia outside."</p><p>“Yeah we should.” Jason nodded and packed a few things into their bags, letting Sarah take care of hers while he worked on his and Celia’s.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. The ride home</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>To deter passersby from worrying about the fact that there was a human boy travelling with two random skunks, Sarah changed into her maid outfit just as Celia had already done. The hope was that her occupation would be readily apparent to anybody she may pass on the street. She didn't bother stepping into the bathroom to change, as she'd have her underwear on the whole time.</p><p>As she changed, Jason looked over at her, her body just covered by the underwear made his eyes wander around her but he quickly caught himself and shook his head. Grabbing the bags, he went over to the door to wait for Sarah.</p><p>Sarah didn't notice Jason looking. She was too focused on getting ready for the day and avoiding eye contact with the human she'd evidently tried to seduce the previous night.</p><p>Now dressed, she wandered over to the table where Celia had set down the tray of food. "Looks like there are just two biscuits here," she said. "I guess this inn doesn't have the most robust kitchen. Would you like one?"</p><p>“I’ll eat it when we’re on the carriage, just hold onto it for me please,” Jason said as he opened the door, the inn smelling like freshly made dough and just a bit musty from the heavy rain the previous night.</p><p>Jason led the way out of the inn, making the safe assumption that Sarah didn’t remember how they even got into the inn last night. Eventually, they were outside, Celia having brought up the carriage to the front of the wooden building.</p><p>"Got all our things?" Celia asked Jason as she hopped off the carriage and helped him load a case up.</p><p>“Mhm," Jason said, making sure to do most of the work getting everything into the carriage, stepping aside to let Sarah put her things in.</p><p>Sarah loaded her one and only suitcase onboard before sitting down in the carriage seat.</p><p>"Uh-uh," Celia said to her sister. "You remember what I said yesterday. I'm sitting in the middle."</p><p>Jason chuckled and waited in the carriage with the reins in his hands, watching as the sisters worked it out.</p><p>Sarah groaned and scooted over. "It's probably better this way, so I can puke right off the side if needed."</p><p>The human laughed, letting out a rather ungentlemanly snort, his face immediately blushing a deep red.</p><p>Celia was polite enough to ignore the odd sound but Sarah flashed him a raised eyebrow.</p><p>"First step the courthouse, then on our way home. You two ready to get going?" Celia asked.</p><p>"Yup," said Sarah.</p><p>“Yeah...” Jason mumbled and gently whipped the reins, steering the horse toward the courthouse.</p><p>The party rode to the courthouse, where Sarah disembarked and came back about thirty minutes later with an envelope of bills and coins in her paws. She hopped back into the carriage, then they all set off for Gladstone Manor.</p><p>However, maybe just twenty minutes into the ride, Sarah requested that they pull over. She stumbled a short distance away from the road before doubling over and throwing up onto the ground.</p><p>“Well… at least she wasn’t sitting in the middle," Jason said to Celia as the pair watched the younger skunk retch and puke into the muddy grass.</p><p>Celia nodded, not taking her eyes off the sick girl. "Lucky for her, I thought this might happen." She reached back to where their belongings were stored. After a moment of fiddling around, she pulled out a glass bottle of water, the top tied down with leather string. "So she can rinse her mouth out and hopefully avoid total dehydration."</p><p>“Good thinking,” Jason said, looking around the road that surrounded them for any passersby.</p><p>There wasn't anybody in sight. It seemed they were all alone out here in the stretch between towns.</p><p>A few minutes later, Sarah managed to compose herself somewhat and stumble back onto the carriage.</p><p>In the time she'd been away, Celia had untied the leather cap for her sister. "This is for you," she said, offering the bottle out to her.</p><p>"Thanks, sis." The younger skunk accepted it and took a sip, swishing it around in her mouth, then spitting off the side of the carriage.</p><p>Jason sighed softly and gently whipped the reins, the horse letting out a labored whine and resuming its slow trot down the dirt road. </p><p>Another hour passed before anything else is said. Sarah spent most of it looking off into the woods with a nauseated gaze.</p><p>“How much longer do you think it’ll be?” Jason asked Celia softly.</p><p>"Getting impatient already, Master?" his maid said playfully. "I'd say we're looking at a minimum of eight more hours, perhaps ten."</p><p>“Okay...” Jason mumbled, taking one hand at a time off the reins and cracking his fingers.</p><p>Sarah drank some more water. She was already looking better now.</p><p>"Jason," the younger skunk said, "how much longer will it be before your father returns home from this trip he's on?"</p><p>“About two weeks. Why do you ask?” Jason questioned, looking past Celia to her.</p><p>"Just wondering how much time I have to find work before I must clear out of your house. If I don't have permission from your father to stay with you, I don't think I should still be there when he gets back."</p><p>“Well we have plenty of rooms. As long as you don’t give him a bad first impression, I’m sure he won’t mind you being there.”</p><p>Celia let out an uncertain sound. "I wouldn't be so sure, Master... He's very particular about who is allowed in the manor, and I don't think he'd be thrilled with a second furred living there, especially if it's a female about your age..."</p><p>“Well I guess we’ll just have to wait and see how he reacts...” Jason mumbled, still obviously wanting Sarah to stay in the manor.</p><p>Celia was still unable to tell whether Jason cared so much for personal reasons or just because he wanted his friend to be happy.</p><p>"No, it won't come to that," Celia said a little more firmly. "If all goes well, Master, Sarah will find work and be out of Gladstone Manor long before your father gets back."</p><p>“And if she doesn't?"</p><p>"I hope she does find work, but if she doesn't, we'll have to kick her out, Master..."</p><p>Sarah looked a bit upset as Celia said this.</p><p>"Master Gladstone cannot know she was ever here. He can't even know we went to her trial."</p><p>“Then we won’t tell him about the trial and we can just say she came here herself.”</p><p>"That still leaves us with the issue of a coeval, female furred living in the house!"</p><p>“Let’s just deal with it when it comes along.” he grumbled and turned his attention back to the road.</p><p>"Master," Celia said impatiently, "may I speak to you in private?"</p><p><br/>After the carriage came to a stop, Sarah would go on to hop out of it and step several paces away so that they may have their privacy.</p><p>"Master," the skunk began, "am I correct in inferring that you would really like Sarah to stay with us?"</p><p>“Well, yes, so that you may spend time with your sister.”</p><p>She didn't look so convinced. "Am I really to believe that that is your only motivation?"</p><p>“Yes, that’s it... But you seem really persistent that's not the case.”</p><p>"Yes... Master Jason, I mean no disrespect, but... do you have feelings for my sister? These can be feelings of strong friendship, or... other ones..."</p><p>“Celia, if I had feelings for your sister, do you think I would have resisted her advances last night?”</p><p>"...'Advances'? You mean her kissing you?"</p><p>Jason thought for a moment before giving a nod, knowing it would be best not to mention anything else about the incident. “Yes, that’s what I mean.”</p><p>"Well, from what I saw, you didn't seem to be actively resisting it. Master, if you've fallen for a furred... I won't tell anyone. I just want you to be honest with me."</p><p>“Celia that’s…! We can keep talking when we’re back at the manor,” Jason grumbled. “Sarah! Let’s get going!”</p><p>"Master!" she said through gritted teeth. "Please, just-!" Before she could finish her sentence, Sarah was within earshot of them and Celia had to silence herself. Grumpily, she climbed back into the carriage, but this time sat as far as possible from Jason so that Sarah would have to be in the middle.</p><p>"Am I getting the middle now?" Sarah asked in a light tone.</p><p>"Yep," the older skunk said in a less enthused voice. If Jason really wanted her sister he could have her, but that meant dealing with her smell, too. Although, it was so weak by this point that it could hardly even be described as unpleasant.</p><p>Jason looked past Sarah and at Celia, upset that she wouldn’t be next to him. After just a moment, however, he huffed and looked forward, whipping the reins to resume their journey.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. The return home</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The carriage arrived at the house much later that night. The sun had set maybe two or three hours ago, but they were fortunate enough not to have passed by any shady figures or thieves in those few hours of darkness.</p><p>Sarah had fallen asleep shortly after the sun started going down and was now resting her head on Jason's shoulder.</p><p>Jason didn’t take much notice of Sarah on his shoulder. The faint coffee-like smell tingled his nose but not in an irritating way. The young man was too lost in thought. Deep down, he did find Sarah attractive, but it didn’t compare to how he really felt for Celia — which itself was still extremely odd to have feelings for the woman who took over the motherly role in his life. </p><p>Gently steering the horse on the clean road in front of the manor, Jason gently rolled his shoulder to wake Sarah up.</p><p>"Mmurr...?" the skunk girl purred as she was woken up. She opened her eyes slowly and looked straight into Jason's. "Are we there?"</p><p>Celia, on the other hand, was speedier in her dismounting and getting unpacked. Immediately after the carriage came to a stop in front of the house, she jumped off and began removing their belongings.</p><p>“Yes we’re her. Now please, I’d like to go to my bed...” Jason grumbled, he wasn’t mad at her. Rather, what he said was just extremely true.</p><p>Despite Jason's intentions, Sarah felt like he never wanted her resting on his shoulder in the first place but had been too polite to wake her. She felt like she'd crossed a boundary with Celia's master in her sleep. She sat straight up and immediately assumed the formal housemaid role. "Yes, Master Jason, I'm sorry."</p><p>“It’s fine.” He sighed and carefully got out of the carriage, watching Celia remove the last of the suitcases and setting it in front of the manor. Jason then rode the horse and carriage off to the nearest stable, where he'd bribe the keeper not to tell Jason's father that he'd borrowed their second horse.</p><p>"Where am I sleeping?" Sarah asked Celia in the meanwhile, both standing in the foyer of Gladstone Manor.</p><p>"In the guest room, I suppose."</p><p>"They never converted the guest room into a sleeping quarters for their maid?"</p><p>"They told me it was too luxurious, and they didn't want fur in the sheets whenever they had people visit, so my room is in a converted closet."</p><p>"Celia..."</p><p>"It's fine. I'm used to it, anyway. I'll sleep in my normal bed, and you'll get the guest room." Celia carried hers and Sarah's suitcases toward where they'd sleep.</p><p>"If you say so..." Sarah followed her sister down the hall.</p><p>Jason got back some time later, picking up the last remaining bag in the foyer, the one that held his things.</p><p>Sarah hurried to the front door as she heard Jason enter the house. She greeted him with a bow. "Thank you again for graciously letting me stay here, Master Jason. If I can serve you in any way at all while I'm here, please just let me know."</p><p>Celia, who'd trailed behind her to see Jason as well, wasn't sure she liked the sound of that, but assumed she just meant serve him in the traditional maid ways.</p><p>“You can stop talking so formal like that...” he said before walking off abruptly. He was used to Celia speaking to him like that, but Sarah doing it was just odd.</p><p>Sarah wasn't able to reply before Jason started off toward his room. She gave Celia a shrug before the older skunk led her sister back to the guest room.</p><p>Going straight to his bedroom, Jason began to unpack his dirty clothes and separate them from the clean. He then started to change into his sleeping clothes, deciding that bathing could wait until tomorrow.</p><p>A few minutes later, Celia knocked on Jason's door. "Master?" she called. "I think we should conclude that conversation we were having."</p><p>“Alright...” Jason sighed and opened the door, motioning Celia in. “Where were we?”</p><p>"I was asking you to tell me if you had romantic feelings for Sarah… I won't tell anyone if you do. I just want to know the truth."</p><p>“No, I don’t have feelings for Sarah. I think she’s attractive...” Jason spat out the last part quickly, “But I don’t have feelings for her.”</p><p>Celia nodded. "After she kissed you last night, I saw how your body had... responded to it. Do you perhaps lack romantic feelings but still feel, I suppose... aroused by her?" It felt weird to talk about her sister like this, but Celia knew it had to be discussed.</p><p>“Yeah… I guess that’s a good way to put it.” Jason walked back to his bed, sitting down on the edge and looking up at Celia.</p><p>She nodded. "I won't stop you from doing what your body commands you to do, but... I don't need to remind you how improper it is for a human and a furred to have romantic relations, Master."</p><p>“I-I don’t plan on doing anything with Sarah!” Jason sputtered out quickly.</p><p>Celia was rather relieved to hear this. "That's probably for the best, Master Jason. I know what it's like to have to resist cross-species romance... but it's always for the best."</p><p>“Wait… What do you mean you know what it’s like?”</p><p>She shook her head. "It's nothing, really. Now, is there anything else you'd like to talk out before bed? Perhaps you'd like to have your nightly routine?" she tried to change the subject.</p><p>“No, I’d actually like you to elaborate on what you were saying,” Jason said as he kept his gaze up at her, now quite curious.</p><p>She smiled at him and tried to brush it off. "Master, it's nothing, really. Can we please move past this?"</p><p>“No, not yet, please tell me," Jason replied immediately in an almost begging way.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This is where the two Skunk Maid works diverge! If you think Jason should end up with Celia, keep reading here. If you think he should get Sarah, use this link:</p><p>https://archiveofourown.org/works/21932389/chapters/53867179</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. The confession</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Celia sighed heavily. "I—" she caught herself, then finally decided in favor of the truth. "I have a crush on you, Master! Er, well, I mean I used to. I got over it, and you can get over this thing with Sarah, too."</p><p>Jason’s face flushed a hot red. He didn’t believe her for a moment, then just took her words as they were. “I-I… OK.” His right knee bounced nervously as he thought over and over again about what he had heard. He wanted to prod at what Celia had said, but decided against it. “Fine... I’ll get over Sarah.”</p><p>"Thank you, Master..." Celia said with a bow. "I know, it hurts, but cross-species relationships... We're probably better off without them."</p><p>“Celia, I don’t like Sarah...” He looked over at her, his knee still bouncing. “I… I like you.” His voice was low. Celia was barely able to hear what he just admitted.</p><p>It was Celia's turn to blush, though the red glow was hardly perceptible under her facial fur. "Jason, I... I think I misheard you. Come again?"</p><p>“I said I like you, not Sarah," he said a bit firmer, making sure Celia wouldn’t mistake his words again.</p><p>"Master, i-it's not allowed! And what would your father think... No. Master Jason, I implore you to disregard these feelings."</p><p>“He doesn’t have to know... It’s not like he could smell it like you can. It’s not good to suppress your feelings — that’s what the books I’ve read say.”</p><p>Celia groaned. She knew he was right, but she also knew how highly unprofessional it would be to date her master. If Jason's father found out, he'd probably have her skinned and made into a rug.</p><p>She gave up on trying to convince Jason of the faults of a cross-species relationships — the foundations for that argument were shaky at best. She went on to try to persuade him practically.</p><p>"Jason... This is too risky for both of us. I know it's painful to suppress these emotions, but wouldn't you much prefer another human?"</p><p>He gave a short shrug. “If human girls are all like Sarah’s mistress, then I really don’t.” His eyes lowered from Celia, eventually settling down on the floor in front of him.</p><p>"Jason..." Celia couldn't think of much else to say. At this point, if she couldn't convince him, perhaps she truly was better off just giving in to her feelings.</p><p>“What...?” he said quietly, not bringing his eyes up from where they were.</p><p>"Jason, look at me," she said firmly.</p><p>He brought his gaze up, looking his maid in her eyes. “What?” he huffed softly, still under the impression that she was firmly against all this.</p><p>Celia leaned over and gently reached forward, took ahold of Jason's chin, and held it steady as she planted a long, passionate kiss on his lips.</p><p>His eyes widened and cheeks blushed a hot red as he froze in shock, not at all expecting this of Celia. Breathing slowly, Jason could feel his heart pound against his chest.</p><p>Celia pulled away after a couple seconds. "You're not kissing back," she said. "But you said..." She felt so embarrassed now. She could cry. She couldn't believe she'd just kissed her master. She'd crossed a line she couldn't uncross.</p><p>“Celia, I’ve never kissed anyone before. I don’t… I don’t know how.” He was quick to defend himself. His voice was low as Jason felt paranoid, like Sarah would burst in any second. Ignoring his embarrassed and nervous thoughts, he gave in to the moment, leaning back in and giving Celia a quick kiss on the lips before pulling back and looking to her for approval.</p><p>Her breathing slowed some from the high rate it'd risen to. "Wait, so... You're being honest, Master Jason? You like me — in that way?"</p>
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<a name="section0018"><h2>18. The argument</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The next day, Jason would be woken up by the sound of two girls arguing in the kitchen down the hall.</p><p>He slowly stirred away as the arguing seemed to grow louder, eventually getting out of bed with a slight stumble. Wishing he could have woken up without interruption to his sleep, he dragged his exhausted body down the hall and entered the kitchen.</p><p>"...can't do that with him!" Sarah's voice came.</p><p>"I'm telling you, Jason is just my master!"</p><p>"Oh, yeah right!" the younger skunk snorted. "I know how you two feel about each other."</p><p>"How? How do you think you know this?"</p><p>His face blushed a soft red as he picked up on what they were arguing about. Trying his best just to ignore the situation he walked to the counter, Jason grabbed a glass and began filling it with chilled water from the ice box.</p><p>"I'm not an idiot. I've seen the way you look at each other," Sarah lied, knowing full well that she had been snooping on Celia's conversation with Jason the previous night.</p><p>Jason's maid looked over at him as she noticed his entrance. She immediately shifted her demeanor to a calm, respectful one and bowed in his direction. "Good morning, Master."</p><p>“Good morning, Celia...” he said between sips. “Good morning, Sarah," he said with a sigh after polishing off the entire glass. He set it in the sink. “When’s breakfast going to be ready?”</p><p>"I'm so sorry, Master, but it's not even eight o'clock yet. I haven't prepared your—"</p><p>"Jason, will you please admit that you have a thing for Celia?" Sarah cut off her sister. She was now seemingly desperate for one of them to tell her something that she knew wasn't a lie.</p><p>Jason looked over at the two of them, gave a short shrug to the pair before, and walked to the dining room table to wait for breakfast. Truthfully he was quite tired, but he consciously played that up that feeling to try and dodge Sarah’s question.</p><p>"Sarah," Celia answered for Jason, "that is none of your business and highly inappropriate anyway."</p><p>"You know the only reason he's into you is because you're the only woman in his life," Sarah retorted, her jealousy apparent.</p><p>He dropped his head in his left hand, his eyes fluttering closed as he fought to stay awake at the table. It wasn't hard to catch on to how Sarah felt about his situation with Celia, but he didn’t care. He liked Celia, and Sarah wasn’t going to change that.</p><p>Just as Celia was about to respond even more viciously to Sarah, she noticed how Jason looked. She immediately ignored her sister, focusing on her master instead. "Jason?" she said softly, walking over to the table where he was sat. "Are you feeling ok?"</p><p>"Hah!" Sarah interjected. "Look! You didn't call him 'Master' or anything like you always do. There's definitely something up here."</p><p>“Just tired and hungry," Jason mumbled, still doing his best to ignore Sarah.</p><p>"Well, allow me to start making you breakfast early," she said, giving his back a quick rub before she stepped over to the stove.</p><p>“Thank you," he said, gingerly laying his head down onto his arms that rested on the table. He could feel himself slipping back to sleep.</p><p>"You're seriously going to ignore me, Celia? You know what I'm saying is completely true."</p><p>"Will you just keep it down? My master is clearly tired. We can discuss this later, if you'd like."</p><p>With a huff, Sarah turned and left the kitchen to head to her temporary room.</p><p>Jason heard her leave just before he fell asleep. A small smile spread across his face before slipping into unconsciousness.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0019"><h2>19. The hearts</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When Jason woke up somewhere between thirty and forty-five minutes later, there was a plate of eggs, sausages, and a biscuit — all still warm — just before him. Celia could be heard humming in the kitchen as she cooked breakfast for herself.</p><p>He lifted his head up and rubbed his eyes, yawning softly. “Thank you, Celia.” Picking up his fork, Jason started to eat his food slowly.</p><p>"My pleasure, Master," the skunk responded from the other room.</p><p>He smiled as he ate. Looking down at the plate, it was clear the eggs were attempted to be made into little heart shapes. Finishing up the eggs, he went on to the sausages, then the biscuit to finish. He stayed seated at the table once done.</p><p>Celia came back a couple minutes after Jason finished eating. "All done, Master?" the skunk maid asked.</p><p>“Mhmm.” Jason nodded and looked up at her from his seat, smiling.</p><p>Celia smiled back as she took Jason's plate and set it in the wash basin in the kitchen.</p><p>He stayed seated, watching Celia for a moment before looking away. Standing up, he went to the room where Celia would teach him, and sat down on the couch.</p><p>"Oh?" Celia said, joining Jason in their 'classroom'. "Eager to resume your schooling so soon, Master?"</p><p>“Well it’s our normal routine. It would probably a good idea to get back into it.”</p><p>She nodded. "First..." she looked down the hall to make sure Sarah was still in her room, "should we talk about... last night?"</p><p>“OK, what about it?” He asked, watching as she walked around the room. He shifted his posture so he would be sitting up on the couch.</p><p>"Do you... still feel that way, Master? Or was that just the exhaustion of travelling all day speaking?"</p><p>“I still feel that way.”</p><p>She grinned. "So... What are we going to do about it? Your father could never find out about this..."</p><p>“Well, when he's home, he’s usually locked up in his study most of the day. I don’t see how it’d be hard.”</p><p>"Master Jason... We cannot court each other if we're constantly dodging your father — at least, not in any meaningful way."</p><p>“Well what do you suggest?”</p><p>"If I'm being honest, I don't know, Master. This is kind of why I hoped to never enter a cross-species relationship... I just have no idea how we would get away with it."</p><p>“We could sneak out each night? You can check and make sure my father's asleep before heading out.”</p><p>"But... Imagine what would happen if we get caught! Sure, you would just be reprimanded. But me... The local police wouldn't go out of their way to investigate a missing skunk girl..."</p><p>“Well… I don’t know then. I guess we could just enjoy what we can now then see what we can do later?”</p><p>Celia sighed. "That sounds fine... Do you mind if, after today's lesson, I take Sarah around to the nearby manors and offer her as a maid? Getting her in another house should at least give you and me some privacy."</p><p>“Yeah, that sounds good.” He nodded and shifted his gaze to the papers that were still left on the table from when they went off to visit Sarah close to a week ago now.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0020"><h2>20. The vacation</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>After their lesson, Celia would take Sarah door-to-door looking for a manor that would employ her. Eventually, they found a man named Mr. Kinsley who said he'd be happy to have her, and after signing the temporary contract — temporary just in case they decided the house wasn't a good fit —, Sarah stayed at Kinsley Manor while Celia went home. She came home late that evening, a little exhausted from all the walking, but otherwise in a good mood. Mostly she was glad that they'd been able to find a home to take her sister.</p><p>Jason was lying down on the same couch he'd sat on during their lesson. Silently reading a book, he didn't even hear the front door open because the classroom was quite far away from the entrance.</p><p>"Good evening, Jason," Celia called. As she walked into the classroom, her master noticed that Sarah wasn't with her.</p><p>“Find a manor for Sarah?” he asked as he sat up, looking over to her with a smile.</p><p>"Yes, Master," Celia answered with a wide smile. "Her new master seemed nice enough."</p><p>“That’s great!” Jason adjusted his position on the couch to more easily look at Celia. “So… We’ve got the house to ourselves for the next week or so?”</p><p>She nodded. "It looks that way. Unless your father gets home early, which is still possible."</p><p>“I don’t think he would; he never has before.”</p><p>"That's true, but you never know. I just think you and I should play it safe, Master." She'd reached a level of casualness around Jason since the previous night that she now had to remind herself to refer to him as 'Master' all the time.</p><p>“Mhm…  Well, what do you want to do tonight?”</p><p>She smiled. "I... really don't know, Master. I assume you're referring to what... er, romantic things we should do tonight?"</p><p>“Yeah, I am,” Jason nodded and stood up so they were both standing. He took a few steps to be closer to Celia.</p><p>"If you are suggesting we have sex, Master, I must respectfully decline."</p><p>Jason stopped to think, he certainly didn’t want to force it. He wanted the time to come naturally, or at the very least when Celia wanted to. “OK, we don’t have to then,” he said before sitting back down. “What would you like to do?”</p><p>"Well, you're actually ahead on your schooling, and we still have around two weeks before your father returns. Perhaps you've earned a day of relaxation."</p><p>“Oh, well what can we do?” Jason asked curiously, not having any days in recent memory where he just relaxed without any sort of schooling.</p><p>"You could simply sit outside and read, or maybe you and I could even take the whole day tomorrow to visit the beach. Though, after all the travelling we've done lately, I can understand if you didn't want to ride a couple hours to the coast."</p><p>Jason gave a shrug. “Well, we won’t be in a rush for this trip, so I wouldn’t mind. It’s a lot shorter too, isn’t it?”</p><p>Celia nodded. "Much shorter than the ten or twelve hours we had to travel each way to see Sarah. And the approaching ocean breeze would be a more pleasant scent than her spray," she laughed, covering her mouth with her paw.</p><p>He laughed with her. “Well then, that sounds like a plan.”</p><p>"Very well," the skunk maid said with a bow. "Now, shall I prepare your dinner, Master?"</p><p>“Yes please, thank you Celia.” Jason stood up and gave her cheek a quick kiss.</p><p>Celia blushed so bright that it could be seen even through her black fur. "I-I'll get started right away, M-Master," she said quickly, turning away and heading toward the kitchen to avoid further embarrassment</p><p>———</p><p>Over the course of a couple hours, Celia prepared Jason his dinner, the two of them ate, and afterwards Jason took a bath while Celia cleaned up their dinner area. Later, Jason crawled into bed, letting out a tired sigh into the pillows that surrounded him.</p><p>Celia had been down the hall from Jason's room so that he could have some privacy as he got dressed for bed. She appeared in the doorway to his dimly lit room as a silhouette with a bushy tail. "Would you like your nightly routine, Master?" she asked softly.</p><p>He thought about it for a moment. Would their new relationship mean that their nightly routine would be more than just her simply relieving him, or would it evolve into something more? Either way, he was curious — and  alittle needy. He gave her a quick response. “Yes, please.”</p><p>She nodded and stepped into his bedroom, shutting the door despite the fact that they were the only ones home. She grabbed the bottle of lotion from his bedside table and applied it generously to her palm. "Are you ready to get started, Master Jason?"</p><p>He nodded to her, pulling the covers down and doing the same with his sleeping pants as he waited for her to start.</p><p>As always, Celia said, "Please let me know if I can make this more enjoyable in any way," before she reached her hand onto Jason's member and began gently coaxing it into getting firmer.</p><p>The human didn’t respond. He just stayed lying on his back, occasionally giving a slight push towards her from his hips.</p><p>Once Jason's cock became hard enough that she could actually rub it up and down, she took it into her hand and started to do just that to it. With a firm grip on it, she rubbed her paw along Jason's penis from base to tip. This was her first nightly routine since they'd confessed their feelings for one another, so she felt like she had to make it at least a little special.</p><p>Soft moans came out from Jason’s mouth. He was less embarrassed about it now that they'd confessed how they felt for one another. More pleasure and intensity were present in the moans than any he had made in the past.</p><p>She continued to rub up and down Jason's cock, slowly increasing her speed with each motion.</p><p>His knees buckled inward as she rubbed his cock. His hands grabbed at the soft bedsheets as a small dribble of precum came out from his tip.</p><p>"Is this enjoyable for you, Master?" she asked as she usually did.</p><p>“I-it’s great Celia...” he huffed out in response</p><p>She smiled with a light blush. "I'm glad you're enjoying it, Master Jason..." She kept on jerking him off.</p><p>“D-do you think you can do that thing you did the other night?” Jason asked, his cock throbbing in her grasp.</p><p>"With... With my mouth, Master?" she asked timidly.</p><p>He nodded quickly. “It felt really good… O-only if you want to, though."</p><p>"I suppose I can, Master." She took her paw off Jason's cock and positioned her head above his waist. She was slightly dreading the unpleasant taste of the lotion already on his member, but she decided to overlook it for the sake of her master and boyfriend. She leaned over and brought her mouth down around Jason's cock, quickly taking the whole thing in her mouth.</p><p>He shivered against the bed as his entire length disappeared in a flash of black and white fur. Jason let out a loud, hot moan into the room.</p><p>"Was that good, Master?" she asked after licking the fur of her shoulder in an attempt to rid her mouth of the taste of lotion. She gently began masturbating him again.</p><p>Jason nodded quickly as she went about the routine as normal, the intense pleasure still on his mind as she jerked him off.</p><p>She grabbed the rag she'd brought into the room with her and got ready to catch Jason's cum as she could feel him getting close.</p><p>His body twitched as he started to cum, the first burst shooting up and coating the fur on her paw.</p><p>Celia hurried to catch Jason's ejaculate as quickly as she could. She silently cursed herself for not reacting quicker. She'd now have to spend a little time tonight picking the sticky substance out of her fur. She held the rag in place over Jason's cock and waited for it to stop gently spasming.</p><p>Jason let out a heavy sigh and lied back on the bed, still breathing heavily as he caught his breath.</p><p>She felt the twitching of Jason's penis start to die down. "Done, Master?" Celia asked.</p><p>He just gave her a slow nod, letting go of the sheets he'd been squeezing tight.</p><p>She removed the rag from Jason's dick and started to stand up. "Do you need anything else, Master?"</p><p>“N-no… nothing else…” the human said with a soft sigh, the fabric of his sleeping pants grazing his member as he pulled them up.</p><p>"Very well." Once standing upright, she curled her tail up and bent over to plant a kiss on Jason's forehead. "Sleep well, Ma— ...Jason."</p><p>A bright smile immediately grew on his face as she called him by his actual name. “Goodnight, Celia.”</p><p>She smiled down at him before turning away, walking to the door, and shutting it behind her.</p><p>It didn’t take long for Jason to fall asleep that night.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0021"><h2>21. The preparations</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Jason woke up to the stimuli he was more than familiar with waking to: the scent of cooking meat, the sound of fat sizzling in a pan, and the small amount of steam making its way down the hall from the kitchen to Jason's bedroom, making everything he looked at just a little foggier than usual.</p><p>He slowly got up out of bed, wandered the hallways with groggy eyes, and eventually took a seat in the kitchen to watch Celia cook.</p><p>Celia turned around as she heard footsteps approaching. Her tail was still curled in a neat circle as it had been the previous night. "Good morning, Master Jason," she said to the human. "Breakfast will be ready shortly."</p><p>“Thank you,” Jason said softly, looking at the cute curl her tail was in as she cooked.</p><p>"Do you still want to go to the beach today, Master?"</p><p>“Mhm, when will we be leaving?” Jason asked her.</p><p>"If we want to make the most of the daylight hours we have, I'd say within the next hour." She extinguished the coals burning under the stove and served Jason his usual breakfast consisting of two sausages, two eggs, and a biscuit.</p><p>“OK.” Jason gave her a short nod before grabbing a fork and starting to eat.</p><p>Celia brought the other plate of eggs she'd cooked into the dining room and set it down across from him so that she could eat with her master.</p><p>Jason ate quicker than normal, wanting to finish so they could get on the road quickly.</p><p>Noticing Jason's pace, Celia too ate quickly. She didn't want to slow down Jason, but she also didn't want that to get in the way of a good conversation. "How long has it been since you last saw the coast, Master?" she asked.</p><p>“I don’t remember… Maybe 5 years?” Jason said in between large mouthfuls.</p><p>"Gods, really? That would make you thirteen when you last visited. Will your old swimsuit still fit you?"</p><p>“Probably not,” he said, finishing off the last of his sausages.</p><p>"If you'd like, I can quickly tailor one to fit you. It would be rather crude, but it'd prevent us from having to head into town and spend your father's money."</p><p>————</p><p>Jason went off to prepare the carriage while Celia worked on his swimsuit. He had to walk down the road to get the horse from the stables and ride it back to the manor to hook it up to their carriage, so Celia had plenty of time to make his suit. Eventually, he came back inside to see her with the finished product.</p><p>No more than fifteen minutes later, they were on the road with a basket full of everything they’d need for the day, including lunch.</p><p>Underneath her maid outfit, Celia was wearing a blue one-piece bathing suit that stretched from between her legs and over her torso, but left most of her upper chest exposed, save for two straps.</p><p>"Do you still remember how to swim, Master?" Celia asked as they rode.</p><p>“Sort of… I've heard it’s one of those instincts that once you get it, you never really lose it," he shrugged. Jason wore the swimsuit Celia made him under his clothes.</p><p>She nodded. "Well, don't go any deeper than you're comfortable with. But you also needn't worry; I'll be watching you and making sure you're not in any kind of danger."</p><p>He smiled some and nodded. “Thank you, Celia. Do you think anyone else is gonna be there?”</p><p>She shrugged. "It's such a lovely day, so it is possible," she replied. "Are you OK with other people being there?"</p><p>“Yeah, I don’t mind. I was just curious.”</p><p>"I don't know if you remember from the last time you went, Master," Celia said, "but the beach is frequented by all species. You probably won't see just humans there."</p><p>“OK, I don’t see that being a problem.” He shrugged, keeping his eyes forward on the road.</p><p>"That's good," she nodded and looked forward down the road.</p><p>"…Do you think it'll be an issue?” the human asked as they kept going.</p><p>She shook her head. "I'm highly doubtful the furreds will give you any trouble. I just hope any humans there don't bother the furreds."</p><p>“Hopefully they won’t…” He sighed and gently whipped the reigns</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0022"><h2>22. The beach</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Their approach to the beach was made obvious by the shift in the texture of the road underneath them from gravel and soil to fine sand. "This may be as far as the horse can take us," the skunk eventually said. "Any further and we won't be able to pull the carriage out of the sand."</p><p>Jason nodded and made the horse stop before jumping out of the carriage and tying it to a nearby post. Another carriage was also tied to a post not far from theirs.</p><p>Celia led the awkward walk through tall grass toward the sound of crashing waves. Pushing stalks of green out of her way, she eventually set sight on the beach. Sure enough, there were some people already there. A wolf family — mother, father, and a couple pups — could be seen not far down the shore. The two young ones splashed around in the shallow water while the parents watched a short distance away.</p><p>Down the coast in the opposite direction were two young opossum boys. They were young enough that Celia wondered where their parents were. Upon closer inspection, however, they seemed to be around twelve or thirteen, roughly old enough that their parents probably trusted them to be on their own.</p><p>There were no humans in sight — except for Jason, of course.</p><p>“So, should we just set up somewhere between them? Give us all some space?” Jason asked her as he looked around the beach.</p><p>The skunk maid nodded. "That sounds good." She walked forward in her sandals onto the white sand of the beach, loathing how it felt when the grains of sand got between her toes and stuck in the fur. "Master," she said, "did you want me to go in the water with you?"</p><p>“If you want to," Jason said, "but I can swim on my own.” He followed behind her with their basket in his hand.</p><p>Celia had been carrying the picnic blanket she intended on lying on, as well as a couple towels. "I would like to swim with you, Master Jason, but... wet fur can be quite smelly. I wouldn't want to cause you any discomfort."</p><p>“Well, if you want to swim you can. I don’t mind either way. I just don’t want to stop you from having fun.”</p><p>Celia nodded. "I think I will... but only for a little while. Then I'll spend the rest of our time here drying off in the sun so that you don't have to smell me on the way back." She flashed her master a smile.</p><p>He smiled back and nodded. Once they got to a comfortable spot, Celia laid out their blanket and Jason set the basket down. He kicked off his sandals and started to walk to the water.</p><p>Celia walked behind him to the ocean. She slowed down some as they started wading into the water, complaining, "It's colder than I expected!"</p><p>Jason laughed softly but the expression immediately faded once his crotch dipped into the water, sending him quickly recoiling back. “F-fuck!”</p><p>"Master!" Celia scolded. "Language! There are little ones not far from us!" She waded a little deeper, up to her ankles. "Although it is quite cold..."</p><p>“I-I’m sorry. Ugh,” he groaned as he quickly dropped into the water, biting the bullet and soon adjusting to the cold.</p><p>"It's fine," she said. She was still wearing her maid outfit, which was gently flapping in the sea breeze. "Still want me to join you, Master Jason?" she called out to him.</p><p>“It’s up to you!” Jason called back, shuddered as he submerged more of himself into the water.</p><p>"Fine, just give me a moment." She turned back to land and walked, tail up to avoid getting it wet, over to their picnic blanket. She attempted to undress down to her bathing suit as unceremoniously as possible because of the children still in sight.</p><p>Once removed, her maid outfit was folded and gently laid down onto the blanket. The maid then made her way back to the human boy waiting for her in the water. The cold water chilled her as it soaked her fur, but she at least appreciated how said fur would keep her somewhat warm.</p><p>Jason waited for her with a smile, gently toying with the open water, occasionally taking his feet out from under himself to see if he could tread water.</p><p>No longer able to stall it, Celia let her tail fall into the cold ocean water, evoking a quiet yelp from the skunk as she walked closer to Jason.</p><p>He chuckled at her reaction to the large mass of fluff flopping into the water. Jason stepped backwards into deeper water.</p><p>"Arrgh, you're not going to make me come further out there, are you Master?" she said playfully, following him deeper.</p><p>“Well you don’t have to. It's not like I’m forcing you~” He grinned at her and gave her a weak splash of water.</p><p>She weakly blocked the splash before pretending to growl at him. "Careful there, Gladstone~" she toyed with him back.</p><p>“What’re you gonna do to me~?” Jason smirked and gave her another short splash.</p><p>"I may... splash you back!" She swung her arm over the surface of the water, but it amounted to just a pitiful, little ejection of water in Jason's direction.</p><p>Jason giggled and blocked his eyes as the small splash came at him. He gave her an equally small splash back.</p><p>Celia laughed with him. "We... we're kind of acting like a couple already, aren't we Master Jason?"</p><p>“Is this what couples do?” Jason asked as he continued to hop backwards in the water.</p><p>"Well, they're typically quite playful with one another, and this trip to the beach could be considered a date..."</p><p>“Oh well I guess we a—“ Jason was cut off when he jumped right off the edge of the sandbar and slipped into the deeper water, his head going right under.</p><p>"<em>MASTER!</em>"</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0023"><h2>23. The hooligans</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Celia screamed before immediately diving after him. Despite the stinging of the salt water, she opened her eyes to try and find him in the murky, green water.</p><p>Jason was kicking and trying his best to swim up, but the panicked flailing didn’t make him any more buoyant.</p><p>She was relieved when she felt her arms wrap around a body in the blurry underwater. Once she'd secured a firm grip around him, Celia began kicking her legs as hard as she could to try and pull both of them back to the surface.</p><p>Once they got above water, Jason started coughing loudly, salt water shooting out of his mouth and mixing back into the rest of the ocean.</p><p>She began lugging both of them toward the shore while repeatedly asking him, "Are you OK? Master, are you OK?"</p><p>“I-I’m—” He was cut off by his own coughing fit as more water came up. “I’m fine now...” He whined softly, taking step after step on the sandy ocean floor while Celia guided him toward land.</p><p>"Master..." she said, concern in her voice as she pulled him onto the sand. The other beachgoers around them seemed alarmed by Celia's abrupt shout, but now, upon seeing that Jason was alright, were generally returning to their normal beach activities.</p><p>Celia laid Jason down on his side on their picnic blanket. "Take it easy, Master..."</p><p>He groaned, his lungs stinging. Jason lied on his back, staring up at the sky as a few birds flew over. “C-can we go back home?”</p><p>"Master," Celia said, "I'd hate for your whole day to be ruined just by a single accident. I think you'll feel better if you just give yourself a minute to calm down..."</p><p>“OK...” Jason mumbled softly, doubtful that his mind would be changed. He still wanted to give it a chance, though, so Celia could spend at least a little more time at the beach.</p><p>She gently ran her fingers through his hair as he recovered. "Would you like some of that fruit juice we brought? That should wash the salt out of your throat."</p><p>Jason just nodded and started to sit up, propping himself with his hands behind him.</p><p>Celia reached in their basket and removed a glass bottle of juice. She handed it to Jason. "Carefully..."</p><p>“Thank you...” Jason took it from her and unscrewed the top, gingerly drinking it up in small sips.</p><p>Celia realized Jason must be cold. Her fur kept her warm, so she hadn't even thought about how her master must be freezing now that he was wet with the practically icy ocean water. She hurried as she grabbed a towel and draped it over Jason's shoulders.</p><p>“Th-thank you," Jason said, his teeth chattering. He felt a shiver run up his spine as she draped the towel over him. He felt a little warmer already as he took another sip of the juice.</p><p>Celia sat back down next to Jason, leaning against him so as to share some of her body heat. "How're you feeling now, Master?"</p><p>“I’m alright… My throat still hurts though," he mumbled, gently leaning back against her.</p><p>"Would you like to go home, Master?" she asked gently. "I'd hate to cut the day short, but if you think you may not be getting any better..."</p><p>“If you’re alright with it, I’d like to go back...” he mumbled and rubbed the towel against himself to dry off more.</p><p>Celia sighed. "Just too shaken up by this incident, hm?" she said.</p><p>“Well I almost drowned… You can still go swim, but I don’t want to go back in the water."</p><p>"Master," Celia sighed, "respectfully, you did not almost drown. I was there to keep you safe all along. You were never in any danger."</p><p>“Well either way, I don’t want to go back into the water…" he mumbled back.</p><p>She nodded. "I understand, Master..." Privately, she was thinking about how typical this was of a wealthy young man. If he had one bad experience with something, he never wanted to go near it ever again. In other cases, this thinking would lead to their hatred of other species. And she'd let herself fall in love with a boy like this?</p><p>"Well, before we head back home, Master Jason, maybe we can have our lunch first. How's that sound?"</p><p>He nodded, reaching over to the basket and opening it up. He grabbed a sandwich wrapped in a cloth and held it out for Celia to take.</p><p>She took it with a small smile. She peeled away the cloth and waited for Jason to take a bite so that she too may eat.</p><p>He took a bite out of his sandwich and began eating. “Are there beaches with clearer water?” he asked her in between bites. “Maybe so I don’t just fall off an edge?”</p><p>Celia nodded. "I've heard of some beaches with crystal clear waters where you can look down and see absolutely everything beneath you. However, I believe they're only in exotic parts of the world."</p><p>“Oh… Is there anything like a, um…. a pool? That’s what man-made lakes are, right?” Jason asked her, clearly wanting to try swimming again, just not on this beach.</p><p>She nodded. "Yes, those exist too, but..." She spoke a little more firmly, "Master, you cannot let a single unpleasant experience rewrite your entire opinion of something. Your father once told me that, ever since you were a young boy, you've loved swimming in the ocean!"</p><p>“Well, I know, but I’d like to learn to swim again so that I can do it without worry...”</p><p>"So you believe you've forgotten how to swim entirely?"</p><p>“I just want to make sure I can...” he said, clearly embarrassed.</p><p>Celia sighed. "I understand." Just then, she noticed a few human boys heading toward the beach. "Oh, looks like there are others coming."</p><p>“We should probably be going then… Can’t imagine they’d be too much fun to be around.” Jason mumbled as he finished the rest of his sandwich.</p><p>"What makes you say that, Master?" Celia asked, still just halfway done with her sandwich. The boys were making their way further down the beach, closer to the two opossums.</p><p>“Just a hunch...” he mumbled and watched them with a concerned look.</p><p>Celia turned her whole body to watch them as well. The boys, who all appeared to be between fifteen and seventeen years old, seemed to be laughing and sneering among themselves. As they kept walking, it was clear that they were not going out of their way to avoid sharing the beach with the two furreds.</p><p>“Can we just go...?” Jason asked almost desperately, not wanting whatever was going to happen on his conscience.</p><p>Celia set down her sandwich. "Wait..."</p><p>As the humans approached the opossums, one of the older boys scooped up some wet sand and lobbed it at the young boys.</p><p>"Perhaps they're just playing...?" Celia said.</p><p>“Celia, they’re not playing.” Jason huffed and stood up. “Can we please go?”</p><p>She swallowed. "But... What if one gets hurt?" she said.</p><p>Enraged by more sand-throwing, one of the opossum boys got up from where they were playing in the shallow water and sprinted over to the humans, evidently planning on tackling one. That quickly backfired for him when the boy he made contact with stood his ground and the other two converged on the opossum.</p><p>“Th-they’ll work it out, but I don’t want to get involved,” Jason pleaded.</p><p>Eventually, the opossum was wrestled onto his back, though he still had quite a lot of fight left in him.</p><p>"Master Jason, come on," Celia stood up. "We'll just walk over there and tell them to knock it off. Then we'll pack up and go home."</p><p>“Celia they’ll come and attack us...” he said, clearly very concerned for her well being. “Let’s just go tell the wolf over there.” He pointed in the opposite direction of the opossum boys.</p><p>Celia looked over her shoulder. The wolf family had already packed up and were just leaving, too. It appeared they either had plans, or they didn't want to be here for this either.</p><p>"Master, I don't think the boys will be dumb enough to attack us. And do you really want to let them just get away with this?"</p><p>"The rat bit me! " one of the human voices rang out. As the speaker pulled away from the pile-on to treat his wound, the other two only intensified their attacks.</p><p>“A-alright, fine,” Jason whined, keeping his towel around him in an attempt to differentiate himself from the other humans. He started to walk over to the center of the commotion.</p><p>The two boys seemed to stop punching and kicking the opossum as the two adults approached, though they did continue to hold him down.</p><p>"What's happening over here?" Celia asked, trying to keep the tone civilized.</p><p>"None of your business, fleabag," the bitten boy replied, still wrapping his deep bite wounds in a towel.</p><p>“Just go home before someone else catches you," Jason said. "They won’t be as nice as we're being, especially if it’s another furred."</p><p>Another boy scoffed as he held the opossum down. "There's no one else here but three of us and two of you, not counting the dumb kids." He nodded his head in the direction of the other, younger opossum boy, who was still crying in the shallow water.</p><p>As Celia looked to the opossum boy on the beach, she was shocked to see he was unconscious... until she remembered that 'playing possum' was a thing.</p><p>“Yeah, well keep saying that until you get sprayed by a skunk," Jason said firmly to try and deter them.</p><p>"Sprayed?" the third kid said. "I came to the beach. I was prepared to get wet." The two still holding down the opossum laughed, but the one who'd been bitten seemed to enter a state of disbelief once he realized the woman standing in front of him was a skunk. As if following the recommendations for what to do when faced with a bestial or even feral skunk, he slowly and silently began backing away from Celia and Jason. He didn't even warn his two friends about what a skunk could do, apparently fearing that speaking too loudly could spook her.</p><p>Jason smirked as he saw him start to back off. “Better follow his lead if you know what’s good for you. I’m sure the opossum knows.”</p><p>"What? This little rat?" one of the human boys said before pressing his knee into the opossum's muzzle, squeezing it between leg and sand. This provoked a loud yelp from the boy who immediately dropped the charade of being dead.</p><p>"Stop it!" Celia demanded, sounding desperate this time. Her tail lifted up in an instant as she took a step toward the boys.</p><p>“You better stop...” Jason said irritatedly, just wanting to leave. The opossum, its face shoved into the sand, could just barely see the skunk raising her tail. He started fiercely flailing his limbs around, wanting nothing more than to flee.</p><p>When they weren't stopping their assault, Celia decided to physically intervene. She walked closer to the pile-on and tried to wrap her arms around one of the human's torsos. She was stopped, however, as one of the boy's arms went flying out at the skunk. The pale forearm struck Celia under her chin, causing her to yelp and stumble backwards, eventually falling onto the wet sand.</p><p>Jason didn’t even think before running forward and tackling the boy who'd hit Celia. Before the kid could raise his arm to punch Jason back, Jason pinned him to the ground before sending his fist straight across his jaw.</p><p>"Jason!" Celia shouted, clutching her jaw as she could taste her mouth filling up with blood. "Stand back!" She awkwardly clambered to her feet.</p><p>He didn’t listen to her, quickly switching arms and punching him across the other side before abruptly getting shoved off by the other boy. The third one was by now a great distance from the scuffle, not wanting to be anywhere in the vicinity when the inevitable happened.</p><p>Figuring this would be the best opportunity she'd get given the fact that Jason was apparently ignoring her, Celia decided to take the shot. Her tail was already raised. All she had to do was turn around and aim. Then, for the first time in a decade, Celia sprayed.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0024"><h2>24. The spray</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Before this moment, she wasn't even sure she could remember how to do it, but when her adrenaline pumped and the taste of blood entered her mouth, instincts took over.</p><p>Aiming her spray was also something she wasn't sure she could do anymore, but that too was taken care of by instincts. Two golden streams of her noxious musk were fired directly at the human boys. However, due to the inherent imprecision of spraying, Jason and the opossum boy weren't necessarily safe from being splashed with some. A few stray droplets would almost definitely make contact with them as well, but the two who had started this whole fight were by far the greatest recipients of the horrid, stinking fluid.</p><p>The human aggressors stopped what they were doing almost immediately in favor of gagging loudly. They bolted the short distance over to the water before puking into the murky ocean, all while crying in pain. The opossum definitely felt the nausea as well. He gagged and stumbled to his feet, getting his brother and starting to run. Jason got lucky and narrowly avoided the worst of it. The noxious spray had just gotten on his feet and calves, though this was still enough to make him cough and tear up as the musk wafted into his nose and eyes. Just as Celia had once tried to explain to him, the stench was unspeakably horrid. It was hundreds, thousands of times worse than anything the sheltered boy had smelled ever before. He was just lucky that adrenaline had dulled all his non-essential senses, so the full strength of Celia's musk didn't yet hit him.</p><p>The third human, the one who'd been bitten earlier, was by now so far away from the beach that he wasn't even standing on sand anymore. Celia, red in the face and still in disbelief about what she'd just done, turned to the two opossum boys and said in an urgent tone, "Go home". They turned tail and sped off. She then hurried over to her master and cupped his mouth and nose with her paw as she led him back to their picnic blanket.</p><p>Jason let her guide him back to their things, still coughing and gagging as he was now right next to the source of the vile smell.</p><p>"Pack up our things," Celia directed him. "I'm going to go wash off as best I can, then we'll leave." She looked back down the beach and saw that the opossum boys were now nearly out of sight as they fled. The humans were still vigorously trying to scrub the stench off in between blaming one another for this outcome. Celia could overhear them shout 'It got in my mouth!' at one point.</p><p>Jason nodded with a soft groan, beginning to pack everything up. He quickly dried off what he hadn’t gotten dry earlier, keeping out a dry towel for Celia when she got back.</p><p>Celia waded only up to her waist into the water. She then spent a few minutes rubbing the areas of her body associated with her spraying, as well as her whole tail just to be safe. Once she'd done all she could, she returned to Jason and immediately recoiled. "You may want to wash off as well..." the skunk said.</p><p>Jason nodded and handed her the towel before himself heading out to the water again. He began rubbing his feet and calves to try to get all the gross spray off of him.</p><p>After letting Jason spend as much time in the ocean as she had, Celia approached him with their picnic basket in hand. "That's about as clean as I think you're going to get right now, Master," Celia said. "We must get going. Law enforcement may arrive soon."</p><p>Jason nodded and hurried back over to Celia, guiding her back to their carriage. They were back on the road in less than five minutes.</p><p>Celia let Jason control the horse in silence for a few minutes before turning to him with tears in her eyes. She said, "Master Jason... I'm so sorry this day didn't turn out like you'd hoped. I don't expect you to forgive me, but..." She wept.</p><p>“C-Celia...” Jason’s voice was full of concern for his maid. He made sure the horse would keep going forward without any interruption before tightly hugging Celia. “It’s not your fault… I enjoyed all the time I spent with you.”</p><p>She was taken aback by the sudden, tight hug. She shut her eyes. "I'm sorry I made you stay there after you had the drowning scare, and I'm sorry for insisting we stay and intervene in the situation with the boys. You were right, it really was none of our business..."</p><p>“I said it’s fine Celia… I promise...” he said softly into her ear. Without thought, his left hand rose up and began gently stroking her hair in an attempt to calm her down.</p><p>As her hair was pet, Celia did indeed take a deep breath and try to relax. Without thinking, she turned toward him and leaned in for a kiss.</p><p>Jason’s cheeks blushed as he saw her trying to kiss. He quickly checked the road to make sure they were good before leaning into it, their lips gently pressing together.</p><p>She moaned gently as they exchanged a long and passionate kiss. As she eventually pulled away, she said, again without thinking, "I love you, Jason."</p><p>His cheeks blushed a hot red, looking at the road again before back into her eyes. “I-I love you too, Celia.”</p><p>Once she realized what had just happened, she stared at him wide-eyed for a moment. "Did... Did we really just say that, Master Jason?" Celia asked.</p><p>He nodded slowly, a small smile across his face. He turned back to face the road but scooted a little closer to Celia.</p><p>She reached a still-damp arm around Jason's shoulders and pulled him in tight before a realization struck her.</p><p>"I sprayed through my swimsuit," she said, shocked. "I need to remove this thing right away, or the smell will just follow us."</p><p>“So you’ll need to get naked...?” Jason asked worriedly, scooting away from her a bit.</p><p>She nodded slowly. "I can change into my set of normal clothes, but that would risk ruining those as well... Master, there's another thing."</p><p>“What?” Jason asked, gently whipping the reins to try and make the horse move faster.</p><p>"The police..." she said. "If those boys go to report this, any dogs that work for them will be able to track me down using the scent of my spray. And even if I sprayed in self-defense and in defense of my master, well, you saw how they treated Sarah... I may not get as lucky as she did."</p><p>“W-well, what do we do then...?” Jason asked, very clearly concerned but keeping his focus ahead on the road.</p><p>"We have to ditch this swimsuit," Celia said, "and mask the smell lingering on me with something else..."</p><p>“Mask it with what? We didn’t bring anything to make different smells?”</p><p>She looked up at him hesitantly. "Master..." she said awkwardly, "you haven't gone to the bathroom recently, have you?"</p><p> </p><p>Celia was grateful it was dark and they wouldn't have to see each other's naked forms this early on in their relationship. Celia left her swimsuit, the only one she owned, hanging on a tree branch. "A-are you ready, Master Jason?" she asked awkwardly.</p><p>“Yeah...” Jason mumbled softly, awkwardly holding his member and aiming it where he thought it would be needed. He found this whole situation nerve racking and started to fear he'd be too nervous to produce urine. However, his need to urinate came back suddenly once he realized he hadn’t pissed all day.</p><p>Celia slowly turned away from Jason and raised her tail. "If you could... please... aim for the area that expelled the spray, I'd, uh, appreciate it..." the skunk said, ashamed and embarrassed.</p><p>Jason huffed softly before closing his eyes and letting out a soft sigh. The warm liquid made contact with the base of Celia’s tail before slowly running down her legs and soaking her fur. The musky smell of pee overpowered her stale spray almost immediately.</p><p>Celia winced as the piss started to fall on her and run down her leg. It was much warmer than she'd expected. She felt humiliated, making her first ever boyfriend pee on her like this all because of the choices she made back at the beach. She silently started to cry as she just waited for this all to be over.</p><p>Jason didn’t hear her crying as he continued, after about fifteen seconds the stream stopped. “I… OK, we should get going...” Jason said almost inaudibly as he returned to the carriage to grab his change of clothes.</p><p>Jason grabbed the bag that held their clothes and held Celia’s out for her to take. She took her clothes and turned around from Jason so that she could change. Thanks to her thick fur, none of her sensitive bits were exposed when she wore no clothes, but she still felt weird whenever she wasn't wearing any. Her bottom half still soaked with urine, Celia climbed into the carriage and sat down.</p><p>Jason pulled on the shorts and shirt he had before quickly joining Celia in the carriage. He whipped the reins gently and they were soon heading back at the normal pace.</p><p>Celia hated the way she smelled. At least skunk musk was a scent she'd been familiar with. Now she was covered in her master's urine as if she'd been marked as his territory. Humiliating didn't even begin to describe the two-hour ride back to Gladstone Manor.</p>
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<a name="section0025"><h2>25. The humiliation</h2></a>
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    <p>Jason didn’t say a word the whole ride back, completely embarrassed by what he'd been forced to do to his new girlfriend. Eventually the manor was in sight, bringing a sigh of relief from Jason.</p><p>"Shall I draw a bath for you, Master Jason?" Celia asked as they drew closer.</p><p>“You need one more than me. I’d like you to take one first.”</p><p>"But... Master," she said, "your needs come first."</p><p>“Well, you smell bad. OK, I do too, but not as bad as you right now. You need it more than I do.”</p><p>She sighed, "Very well, Master..." Celia waited for the carriage to come to a stop.</p><p>“Go ahead and get cleaned up, I’ll meet you inside after I put the horse and carriage away.” Jason said as he made the horse stop in front of the manor.</p><p>Celia nodded and hopped out of the carriage. Heading inside, she immediately headed for the kitchen to start warming up some water. While that was underway, she fetched pail after pail of water from the nearby well to fill up the tub.</p><p>It didn’t take Jason too long to finish getting the carriage into its spot at the manor and walking the horse to the stables. Heading back inside with a heavy sigh, Jason walked straight to his room.</p><p>By the time Jason got back, Celia was already in the bath, silently hating herself for what she'd let the day become. Whatever happened to all her professionalism as a maid? First she falls in love with her master's boy, then she gets him and herself in the affairs of some boys on the beach, and then she sprays in front of him. She was starting to think maybe she should be arrested for all this. At least that would give her a chance to reflect on all the mistakes she's made.</p><p>Jason was sitting in his room with his nighttime clothes on his bed, waiting for Celia to finish in the bath. He didn’t hate her for making him confront the other human boys. He was honestly happy she finally started to ignore what he said and made choices on her own as opposed to simply doing whatever she was told.</p><p>A while later, Celia stopped by Jason's room, a towel wrapped around her chest. Her fur was still dripping the occasional drop of water. She leaned in to see if he was still awake.</p><p>Jason immediately met Celia’s eyes, grabbed his clothes, and stood up. “I’ll go bathe now,” he said and started to make his way to the door of his room.</p><p>"Oh, Master," Celia said, standing in the way. "I still have to finish draining the bathtub and then refill it. I'm afraid you'll have to wait."</p><p>“Oh, right... I’m not used to taking a bath second.” Jason nodded and went back over to where he'd been sitting.</p><p>Celia walked back into the kitchen and began heating another pot of water. Once the water was drained from the tub, Celia picked a few remaining wet fur clumps out of the bottom before fetching pails to fill it up again.</p><p>Jason sat and waited patiently for her, thinking more about their day and how much time they had left before his father got back.</p><p>After a while of running back and forth with water, Celia grabbed the pot of hot water and slowly added it to the bathtub. "Temperature check, Master?" she called.</p><p>He got up and went to the bathroom. He dipped his fingers in and nodded at her. “That’s good, thank you.” Setting his night clothes on the counter, Jason waited for her to leave so he could get undressed.</p><p>"Very well, Master," the skunk said before carrying the nearly empty pot of water back to the kitchen.</p><p>He didn’t bother to close the door before getting undressed and slipping into the warm water with a relieved sigh.</p><p>Celia was walking by the bathroom when she realized the door was still open. She poked her head in to see if Jason needed something else from her, but instead saw the upper half of his nude body. "Oh!" she exclaimed. "I'm sorry, Master." She reached in to pull the door closed.</p><p>Jason didn’t think much of it, shrugging off Celia’s reaction before sinking a little further into the water and enjoying its warmth.</p><p>Celia stayed near the bathroom in case Jason shouted for anything. As she waited on him, she reached into the nearby closet and withdrew a towel. She wrapped her hair up in it, trying to make it dry faster. Just because the rest of her body would be damp for another hour didn't mean her hair had to be.</p><p>After about fifteen minutes, Jason could be heard standing up and drying off. He carefully stepped out and began drying off the rest of his body before getting his clothes on. Opening the bathroom door, he was a little surprised to see Celia right there, but he didn’t let it show.</p><p>Celia hurried to her feet as Jason came out but still avoided looking him in the eyes. "Need anything from me, Master?" she asked, still wrapped in two towels.</p><p>“No, not right now...” He was about to say something about her not being dressed before he remembered that her fur had to dry off. He stopped himself from saying anything else and headed off to his room.</p><p>Celia could feel something was up with Jason, and it wasn't much of a mystery what that was. Jason had nearly drowned, had his once-trusted maid spray him, then had the same maid demand he piss on her. This must have been the single most foul day in the young man's life, and Celia was entirely responsible for it. It was her idea to visit the beach today, after all, and everything that came after was her doing.</p><p>Itching at her gradually drying fur, Celia forced herself to do one more thing before saying goodnight to Jason. She had to ask if he, even after all that had happened, wanted Celia to perform their nightly routine.</p>
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<a name="section0026"><h2>26. The long day</h2></a>
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    <p>Jason was comfortable under his bedsheets by the time the thought of their nightly routine had passed through Celia’s. After a few moments, he felt something he hadn't felt in a long time. He felt lonely. He felt a sincere longing for someone he missed. Looking up to the door of his bedroom, Jason contemplated calling out for Celia.</p><p>The skunk woman knocked on the door. "Master Jason?" she called through it. "May I come in?"</p><p>“Yes!” Jason called out immediately when he heard her voice.</p><p>She pushed the door open and took a step inside. "Hello, Master," Celia said. "Would you like your nightly routine?"</p><p>He shook his head but still motioned her over. “Can you... sleep with me tonight? Not like the '<em>you know</em>'-way. Just... in my bed tonight?”</p><p>She looked at him, utterly astonished he'd want something like that after all that'd happened. "Master Jason..." she said. "You don't really want that, do you?"</p><p>“I do... please. Just go get dressed and come back... please.” Jason’s voice was soft but true to his words.</p><p>"I—" she paused for a moment. "If you're sure, Master." She bowed to him before leaving to change back into her second maid outfit. While Jason was in the bath, she had washed the outfit she took to the beach and hung it up to dry outside.</p><p>He smiled some as he waited for her to come back. Jason made sure to pull up the sheets so she could easily slip into the bed with him.</p><p>Celia walked back to Jason's room and stepped inside. The only light in the room came from his bedside candle. "Where would you like me to lie down, Master?" she asked.</p><p>He simply patted the spot next to him in bed.</p><p>"As you wish," she bowed before walking over to the bed and sitting on it. "Would you like me facing toward you or away from you, Master Jason?"</p><p>“It’s up to you.”</p><p>Celia didn't know if her rear still smelled some, but she wasn't taking any chances. She lied down and faced Jason. It was jarring for the maid, who'd always been taught to address her master from a distance, to now be looking into Jason's eyes from mere inches away.</p><p>He smiled some, staying quiet as his eyes laid on Celia’s. He gently pulled the covers over the two of them before closing his eyes.</p><p>"Master..." Celia said softly, "was there a reason you wanted me to lie down with you?"</p><p>“I… I was feeling lonely...” Jason responded softly.</p><p>"Lonely?" she whispered. "But we spent the whole day together."</p><p>“I know… That’s why I didn’t want to sleep alone.”</p><p>She sighed. "I didn't think you'd want anything at all to do with me after today..."</p><p>He shook his head and opened his eyes back up to look at her expression.</p><p>Celia looked into his eyes. "Master... Today was a total wreck, and it was all my fault. I mean…" she lowered her voice, "I sprayed. Yet you still want me to sleep with you? Why?"</p><p>“Because I want to be with you. Is that so hard to get, Celia? That’s all...” His voice was soft. Jason felt a little hurt that she didn’t get the simple gesture.</p><p>"I... I suppose I understand, Master, but," she sighed, "how can you just forgive me for putting you through all that trouble? I promise, I won't spray if you decide to break up with me over this."</p><p>“Because you wanted to do the right thing… I’m happy we did what we did, even if you sort of forced me into doing it.” He shifted how he was lying in bed. “I’m happy you stood up for what you believed in and didn’t falter just because I asked you not to.”</p><p>She smiled, but then quickly switched back to a neutral expression. "But, Master, that's not how a maid is to behave. We are supposed to do what we're told, and absolutely not do what we're told not to do."</p><p>“Well, our relationship is different from just maid and master now, isn’t it?” he said, smiling. “I don’t want you to act like that forever. I want you to act out of your own free will.”</p><p>"But, Master... I simply can't be both! I can't be your maid, doing exactly as I'm told, while at the same time doing whatever I choose."</p><p>“Well, I mean… I don’t know… Just be a maid to my father. Once he’s back he’ll probably be bossing you around again anyway... Then, when it’s just us, we can act like normal people.”</p><p>"That will be quite tricky to navigate, Master Jason..." the skunk sighed. "Constantly switching between playing the girlfriend to you and that maid for your father. And I don't think you realize just how different life would be if I stop acting as your maid."</p><p>Jason just decided to stop arguing with her and end the conversation. “Fine, Celia...” He said before rolling over to face away from her. He held his sheets tightly and tried not to look or sound too upset over the whole matter.</p><p>"M-Master, I don't believe the conversation was over..." she said politely.</p><p>Jason just ignored her. He was aware how childish the gesture was, but he didn't care. Celia would always see him as an immature, pampered rich boy. And if she saw him as such, he’d continue to act like it.</p><p>"Master...?" She reached a hand up and gently nudged Jason's shoulder. He'd never closed up on Celia like this before — at least never in recent memory.</p><p>“What?” he grumbled, keeping his gaze averted from her.</p><p>The skunk sighed. "I'll just go. Goodnight, Master Jason." She threw her legs over the side of the bed to stand up.</p><p>Still facing away, he couldn’t stop himself from starting to cry. Jason exhaled shakily, making a gasping noise that couldn’t be mistaken.</p><p>She stopped halfway out the door. "Master? Master Jason? Is everything OK?"</p><p>“Celia, if you want to go to bed then go to bed.” His voice was shaky. It was clear he was just saying it so that he could be left alone. Celia could tell that he needed her more than ever right now.</p><p>"Jason..." she said, dropping the 'Master' for once. "If you want me to stay here with you, I will. Just say so."</p><p>He paused for a minute, then said, “Stay…"</p><p>"As you wish, Master," she said with a bow before walking back around the bed and lying down with him. She scratched a couple times at her neck before finally settling in.</p><p>He quickly rolled over, only giving Celia a moment to see his teary-eyed face before he hugged her close and buried it in the soft fur of her neck.</p><p>Celia, at first taken aback, started to rub the back of Jason's head reassuringly.</p>
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<a name="section0027"><h2>27. The new maid</h2></a>
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    <p>She hadn't met the manor owner's son yet. From what she'd been told, he was a quiet kid, so he at least wouldn't be like the kids of her previous manors — yelling at her, yanking on her tail, and the like. She'd also been told that he was very attached to his mother, which would make the coming months — and even years — very hard on the kid.</p><p>"Jason!" Mr. Gladstone called as he led Celia through the front door of Gladstone Manor. "Jason, come here. I'd like you to meet someone."</p><p>Master Gladstone, although he didn't seem to think furreds were necessarily on the same level as humans, at least didn't treat Celia with the outright disrespect that her previous masters had. He addressed her with a kind smile, one that he may give to a young and naïve child. He didn't hate her, but he definitely didn't treat her as an equal, either, and that was made obvious by the fact that he was pulling her by the upper arm into his house.</p><p>The young human had a stuffed toy horse in his arms. The softness of the stuffed horse's mane was only matched by that of its tail. Walking out from a side room, he looked up at his father and the new, odd-looking stranger in the manor. He just stared at the two of them, not saying a word.</p><p>Celia clasped her hands in front of her waist, as she was taught all good maids should do, and smiled kindly at the boy.</p><p>"Come now, boy," his father said. "She won't bite." After saying this, the man looked over his shoulder at the skunk. She quickly nodded to him as if to confirm what he'd just said was true. He nodded back to her before looking over to Jason again.</p><p>Jason slowly walked closer, his attention focused intently on the stranger. She looked soft, just like his horse. Making the connection he walked a little faster, reaching out and gingerly feeling the nearest part of exposed fur.</p><p>Due to tiny Jason's shortness and Celia's above-average height, the fur he happened to make contact with belonged to her upper leg, just below the skirt of her maid outfit. "N-nice to meet you, Jason," the skunk said, not quite sure what else to say or do.</p><p>Jason stopped after he heard her voice. He held his horse up in both hands and pointed it at her so she could feel the soft mane. A small, sweet smile could be seen on the young boy's face. Celia of course didn't know this, but it was the first time Jason had genuinely smiled in quite a long time now.</p><p>She chuckled, and held a hand out to pet the horse's mane. "Oh, it <em>is</em> soft!" she said caringly.</p><p>He smiled happily and, without thought and emboldened by the stranger's soft voice, quickly hugged her soft leg, his eyes down toward the wood floor.</p><p>Celia stumbled back a smidge as she felt Jason's weight fall on her leg.</p><p>"Jason!" his father barked. "Don't hug it!"</p><p>The voice startled him, quickly letting go and accidentally dropping his horse. Jason quickly retrieved before running back off to the room he came from.</p><p>"I'm sorry," Jason's father said once his son was out of earshot. "He can be a strange kid..." </p><p>"I think he's sweet," Celia said, brushing some hair out of her face. This sort of behavior wasn't totally new to her. Plenty of the kids she'd been maid to seemed, in a sense, socially stunted by their sheltered lifestyles. These kids still (usually) grew up into mature adults, they just sometimes lacked necessary social skills early on in life. It didn't surprise Celia when she later found out that, besides his mother, Jason hadn't seen another female in the house for months, let alone one six-feet-tall and covered in fur.</p><p>Jason had fled to a large couch in the manor's living room. He was tucked underneath a large, cotton blanket his mother had knit him years ago. He was facing away from the entrance of the room, holding his horse close.</p><p>"I need to check on my wife," Jason's father said to Celia. "Feel free to familiarize yourself with the manor." The fact alone that he was letting the skunk roam around the home unsupervised said a lot about the man's trust in furreds.</p><p>Celia idly wandered in the direction Jason had run off to. When she saw a child-sized lump under a blanket on the couch, she was pretty sure she'd discovered where he went. "Jason?" she said gently as she walked into the room.</p><p>A moment passed before the top of his head and two blue eyes slowly poked out from underneath the blanket, then the rest of his upper half. Jason slowly sat up and looked at her. His eyes wandered around her tall body, the large mass of fluff that swayed behind her immediately catching his attention.</p><p>She couldn't help but laugh as the young boy's eyes scanned her entire body. She found it adorable how curious kids were about novel things and people. She noticed that, after a short while, his eyes had settled on her tail. It was really no wonder it was the center of attention. After all, it was huge, and by far the fluffiest part of her. She gave it a quick wiggle from side to side for the boy to enjoy.</p><p>He smiled and giggled softly as he watched her wag the huge, furry tail around. Jason held his right hand out, then opened and closed it a couple of times.</p><p>"You wanna hold it?" Celia asked, reaching behind herself and grabbing her tail around three-fourths of the way down from the base.</p><p>Jason nodded quickly, eagerly watching as she took hold of it. It looked as if she was going to let him feel it.</p><p>"Alright, but just this once," she said with a smile, holding it out to Jason. Generally, she didn't like people holding her tail unless she really, really trusted them. She'd had too many negative experiences with brat kids thinking it'd be funny to pull on her tail. This included one instance back when Celia was a kid — probably around Jason's age, in fact — in which her tail was yanked so hard by another kid that she involuntarily sprayed him in the face. She was very intent on not repeating that event, if she could help it. But for the time being, she was still trying to gain Jason's trust, so she made an exception to her general rule of hands-off-the-skunk's-tail.</p><p>He smiled gleefully. At first his grip was quite tight, but soon his hands relaxed when he realized that its own weight would keep it from going anywhere. Jason happily petted the large mass of fluff in his hands.</p><p>Celia grinned at the kid enjoying her tail. "Is it soft, Jason?" she asked in a gentle tone.</p><p>He nodded, combing his small hands gently through it over and over again.</p><p>She looked into his eyes as he played with her tail. "I don't think I've properly introduced myself yet," the skunk said. "My name is Celia, and if all goes well, I'll be your new maid."</p>
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